Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!execu!sequoia!rpp386!jfh From: jfh@rpp386.Dallas.TX.US (John F. Haugh II) Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards Subject: Re: UNIX and viruses Summary: Read Ken Thompson's Turing Award speach. Message-ID: <16655@rpp386.Dallas.TX.US> Date: 10 Jun 89 01:12:59 GMT References: <19930@adm.BRL.MIL> <4457@ficc.uu.net> Reply-To: jfh@rpp386.cactus.org (John F. Haugh II) Organization: River Parishes Programming, Plano TX Lines: 28 In article <4457@ficc.uu.net> peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes: >In article <19930@adm.BRL.MIL>, bzs@bu-cs.bu.edu (Barry Shein) writes: >> Will someone explain to me exactly how usernames and passwords and >> file protections (a not unknown form of security) will protect against >> computer viruses?? > >Thirty-fifteen. > >I guess it's time for this again. I originally posted this before the >Internet Worm Scare. Anyone interested in a really good paper on trojan horses and trust should read Ken Thompson's Turing Award presentation. Ken creates a scenario in which the C compiler and login are in cahoots to create this security hole which only he [ and dmr ;-) ] are aware of. It ends with some very sound advice - eventually a secure OS comes down to trusting the people who wrote the code. I don't think GNU will ever produce a trusted OS for exactly this reason - who is going to trust people such as Stallman who believes security is something big companies use to steal from the average Joe? -- John F. Haugh II +-Button of the Week Club:------------- VoiceNet: (512) 832-8832 Data: -8835 | "AIX is a three letter word, InterNet: jfh@rpp386.Cactus.Org | and it's BLUE." UucpNet : !bigtex!rpp386!jfh +--------------------------------------