Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!MITRE.ARPA!art
From: art@MITRE.ARPA (Art McClinton)
Newsgroups: comp.os.vms
Subject: Re: The latest security bug
Message-ID: <8804131326.AA15820@mitre.arpa>
Date: 13 Apr 88 13:26:10 GMT
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The MITRE Corp., Washington, D.C.
Lines: 23

SEND is not a DEC VMS command.  Noting your return address I am going to
assume that your VMS system is on bitnet and is probably using the Joiner 
Associates package (Jnet).  SEND is a command within the Jnet product.  It
does require certain privileges to be able to send messages to users that 
are logged in.  It appears to turn on/off privileges as necessary.  It does
not perform the actions the Bucknell students attribute to the command.  VMS
security bugs have been tightly held secrets in recent times.  I do not know
of anyway that you will be able to prove/disprove that any one program caused
a particular problem.

I suggest that you determine what image is invoked by your SEND command.  If
you have a question about it, go to the source of that program.  If the source
is not a reputable one, then determine why you want to keep the program.  

 
     
*
*---Art
*
*Arthur T. McClinton Jr.     ARPA: ART@MITRE.ARPA
*Mitre Corporation MS-Z305   Phone: 703-883-6356
*1820 Dolley Madison Blvd    Internal Mitre: ART@MWVMS or M10319@MWVM
*McLean, Va. 22102           DECUS DCS: MCCLINTON
*