Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!oberon!pollux.usc.edu!papa
From: papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: The ultimate fix!!!
Message-ID: <12737@oberon.USC.EDU>
Date: 12 Oct 88 02:56:51 GMT
References: <8810092209.AA09182@cory.Berkeley.EDU> <2791@sugar.uu.net>
Sender: news@oberon.USC.EDU
Reply-To: papa@pollux.usc.edu (Marco Papa)
Organization: Felsina Software, Los Angeles, CA
Lines: 28

In article <2791@sugar.uu.net> karl@sugar.uu.net (Karl Lehenbauer) writes:
> Do you disagree that Unix systems are better protected than totally 
         ^^^^^^^^
Yep, I do.  Regarding viruses and protection in general, UNIX is as (in)secore
as anybody else's computer [ make your pick with or without the () ].

>unprotected systems like the Amiga and the PC, are you saying that Unix is
>somehow wide open such that running mischevious code from any signon means 
>the system's hosed (and if so, how?), that people shouldn't even bother with 
>countermeasures, or what? 

You should have been around USC this week when as part of a Computer Security 
class students were instructed to build "benign" viruses on our Suns and VAXes
running UNIX [USC has always been at the "avant-gard" in computer viruses 
theory and experiences for quite some time :-)].

Anyway, before speaking again why don't you do your research?  Read about ANSI
terminals and what "magic" things one can do with them. At least pick up
one of the last issues of CACM and read how safe are UNIX systemes like mail,
uucp, emacs and NFS. Gee, I said I would shut up, but when some ignorant
[read the meaning of the word in Webster's pal, this is not an offense, just
a fact] like you speaks, it is really too much.

-- Marco Papa 'Doc'
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