Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcvax!hp4nl!mhres!jv From: jv@mh.nl (Johan Vromans) Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards Subject: Re: GNU, security, and RMS Message-ID: Date: 5 Jun 89 16:19:41 GMT References: <106326@sun.Eng.Sun.COM> <422@ladcgw.ladc.bull.com> <13688@ncoast.ORG> <15812@vail.ICO.ISC.COM> <2322@thor.acc.stolaf.edu> Sender: jv@mhres.mh.nl Reply-To: Johan Vromans Organization: Multihouse Gouda, the Netherlands Lines: 35 In-reply-to: mike@thor.acc.stolaf.edu's message of 3 Jun 89 04:48:46 GMT > From: mike@thor.acc.stolaf.edu (Mike Haertel) > As for my beliefs on the subject: > > (1) Anyone who thinks a UNIX-compatible system can be `secure' has > some serious delusions. Timing windows and covert channels abound. Agreed. This could need some improvements. > (2) There should not be security among the users of a computer system. > [...] (I agree that in some situations it is reasonable > to have security to keep out outsiders, though.) Agreed. > The principal use I have seen security put to has been the self- > aggrandizement of system administrators at the expense of the > user community. One of the reasons for security is to protect users against themselves. On most of the systems we run most users know how to become root if they want or need to. But when you're super user, you have to be extremely careful not to mistake or to mistype. I am not afraid that any other user will deliberately mistreat my data, I'm just afraid of accidents. And humans make mistakes, you know. > Mike Haertel Johan Vromans -- Johan Vromans jv@mh.nl via european backbone (mcvax) Multihouse Automatisering bv uucp: ..!{mcvax,hp4nl}!mh.nl!jv Doesburgweg 7 phone: +31 1820 62944 2803 PL Gouda - The Netherlands fax: +31 1820 62500