Xref: utzoo news.admin:3922 news.sysadmin:1234
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcvax!enea!kps!per
From: per@kps.UUCP (Per Ejeklint /EFS)
Newsgroups: news.admin,news.sysadmin
Subject: Re: A *Big* Thank You
Message-ID: <337@kps.UUCP>
Date: 8 Nov 88 12:47:42 GMT
References: <361@itivax.UUCP> <367@execu.UUCP> <1294@tmpmbx.UUCP>
Reply-To: per@kps.UUCP (Per Ejeklint /EFS)
Organization: Kuwait Petroleum Sweden, Stockholm
Lines: 30

>
>I'd be careful in generally judging hackers as bad guys.  Better think about
>the possibilties bugs can give to your favoured opponent.  Every hour spent
>in the last week to get rid of the worm is a good investment in the security
>of future software products.
>
>Let's be happy that it is over, and that the Internet is now more secure.
>
>	Hans
>

I agree with You Hans. Curiosity is a curse that often blinds people.
Our little hacking brat was pushed by his own curiosity beyound the limit
of common sense. A grown up person with some experience of life should
make the desicion that the "test" would cause to much trouble to other
people. And if he had found out a weakness that can be used by guys 'up
to no good', he would just post his results to various channels and
in that way open the eyes of the others.
But the most effective way to focus on fatal bugs like this one is 
probably to do what he did. Still, I doubt that his purpose was that
"good". I think he was curious, just curious.
Maybe we should arrange "Do-something-evil-contests" where hacking brats
could compete in destroying things (given a stand-alone computer), and then
use the results as a feedback to sysadmins (and security daddies).

I'm sure that our little star of this month (You know who) has some
interesting things to say, so if You read this, send me a mail!

Per Ejeklint
Stockholm, Sweden