Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!husc6!bu-cs!encore!bzs
From: bzs@Encore.COM (Barry Shein)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Protecting Password Files
Message-ID: <4484@xenna.Encore.COM>
Date: 25 Dec 88 22:00:49 GMT
References: <7274@chinet.chi.il.us>
Organization: Encore Computer Corp, Marlboro, MA
Lines: 30
In-reply-to: ptownson@chinet.chi.il.us's message of 25 Dec 88 08:44:38 GMT
Posting-Front-End: GNU Emacs 18.41.15 of Tue Jun  9 1987 on xenna (berkeley-unix)


From: ptownson@chinet.chi.il.us (Patrick Townson)
>The catch seems to be that DIRED sees nothing wrong with working on /etc/
>passwd. Either DIRED should refuse to work on etc or ideally, DIRED should
>be unable to edit the permissions area in directories.
>
>Am I missing something, or is this a simple, easy way to break into anyone's
>account with no reference to their true password at all?
>
>Patrick Townson

Yes, what you are missing is the slightest understanding of unix, if
this wasn't unix-wizards I'd have more mercy but instead I'll point
out you have sunk this list to a new low.

There's something wrong with the LOCAL set up of YOUR dired (which, by
the way, is not even a standard unix utility) or the permissions on
YOUR /etc or something like that, I don't know but your point was
worthless. It's as if you were claiming unix is unreliable since your
system stops working every time you pour a can of cola in the disk
drive.

I have nothing against someone asking a question, no matter how naive,
but posing as someone offering insight into unix to a list who's name
is unix-wizards and posting this kind of misleading, ignorant tripe is
utterly irresponsible. Didn't it ever occur to you that you don't know
what you are talking about? I don't think a little "correct me if I'm
wrong" is enough to excuse this kind of garbage.

	-Barry Shein