Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!vsi!friedl
From: friedl@vsi.COM (Stephen J. Friedl)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Soviet Access to Usenet
Summary: The Soviets could be on my machine
Keywords: Espionage arpanet
Message-ID: <948@vsi.COM>
Date: 22 Nov 88 16:05:38 GMT
References: <8081@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <2672@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu> <252@blake.acs.washington.edu>
Organization: V-Systems, Inc. -- Santa Ana, CA
Lines: 29


> I do _not_ think Soviet access to Usenet is needed or justifiable.  As
> someone else here pointed out, we do not need any more KGB access to 
> this or any other net.  It simply makes their intelligence gathering
> that much easier.  While it is true that classified systems are not
> connected to any network, the system is cross connected to Arpanet, and
> access to this net is effectively access to Arpanet.  Not good.

How does anybody know that the Soviets aren't polling (say) my
machine?  There are so many machines in the world, with so many
who read and never post, that it would be a very simply matter
for them to see anything they want.  I suspect you don't find
the NSA in the maps, but they could probably get a feed on the
sly if they wanted (one way or another).

If the Soviets want to get on the net, they will.  We may
or may not like this, but our time is better spent thinking
about how we will deal with this rather than how much we don't
like it.

     Steve

P.S. - Hi Gorby!

-- 
Steve Friedl    V-Systems, Inc.  +1 714 545 6442    3B2-kind-of-guy
friedl@vsi.com     {backbones}!vsi.com!friedl    attmail!vsi!friedl
------------Nancy Reagan on the worm: "Just say OH NO!"------------
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