[mod.computers.vax] password checking command file

ken@HAMLET.CALTECH.EDU.UUCP (02/11/87)

>$!  first we prompt for the username and password
>$ inquire name "Username"
>$ set terminal/noecho      !  don't echo password to screen
>$ inquire pwd "Password"
>$ set terminal/echo
>$ write sys$output "Validating your password... please wait"
>$!   now use DECNET to access a public directory that contains
> !   nothing that is secret... (our node happens to be "amy"
>$ dir/output=temp.tmp amy"''name' ''pwd'"::sys$sysdevice:[public]
>$ if .not. $status then goto reject

    Hee Hee Hee. As someone who 'used to work for the dark side' I
can assure you that this command file as presented has a more major
problem than INQUIRE stuffing the password into the RECALL buffer -

    Just hit <CR> twice and enter a blank username and password.
The DCL command line becomes:

$ dir/output=temp.tmp amy" "::sys$sysdevice:[public]

which will succeed if you have a default DECnet account.

    The idea looks sounds in principle, I think the problems lie
in the example.

                                            Kenneth Adelman
                                            Caltech
KEN@Hamlet.BITNET
KEN@Hamlet.Caltech.Edu