Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!UIAMVS.BITNET!AWCTTYPA
From: AWCTTYPA@UIAMVS.BITNET ("David A. Lyons")
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: don't supress virus information
Message-ID: <8903031623.aa07644@SMOKE.BRL.MIL>
Date: 3 Mar 89 22:13:41 GMT
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X-Unparsable-Date: Friday 03 Mar 89 2:51 PM CT

Date:         Fri, 3 Mar 89 11:00:58 GMT
From:         Doug Gwyn <haven!adm!smoke!gwyn@PURDUE.EDU>
Subject:      Re: virus info should not be supressed

I (Dave) wrote:
>Information about how viruses work should not be surpressed, period.
>[...] potential victims (people who could have their houses broken
>into or their data destroyed) need to know what risks are involved in
>trusting their locks or their computer software.

Doug writes:
>Well, using your analogy with locks, the fact is that nearly any home
>can be surreptitiously entered in only a few seconds by anyone
>sufficiently clever and skillful who is also armed with the relevant
>knowledge about how to exploit weaknesses in locking systems.
>
>[...]  Obviously, under such circumstances, widespread publication of
>ways to open residential locks, even if not in recipe format, is not
>ethically justifiable.

It isn't at all obvious to me.  I maintain that the people who would
abuse the knowledge already have it, and the people who won't deserve
to know to exactly what degree they are vulnerable.  The analogy
between locks and computer software is far from perfect, and I
believe much more strongly that computer virus information should be
freely available than I believe that lock-breaking info should.

 --David A. Lyons              bitnet: awcttypa@uiamvs
   DAL Systems                 CompuServe:  72177,3233
   P.O. Box 287                GEnie mail:    D.LYONS2
   North Liberty, IA 52317     AppleLinkPE: Dave Lyons