PMANERA@NYBVX1.BITNET (Peter Manera) (11/14/85)
One of you used an appropriate word: "naivete". I've always been thankful for the information posted on Info-VAX, but security at this NYU site is not a
PMANERA@NYBVX1.BITNET (Peter Manera) (11/14/85)
That last one got away from me by mistake - sorry. What I started to say was that this particular NYU site has very few hackers roaming around the system, since we service the business schools here rather than the computer science department. So while I have always read, and with interest, the postings on Info-VAX, I never really gave a LOT of thought to the security issues - until, that is, the recent crasher program. It's neat to find something like that - a real "gotcha". And having access to an interested forum like Info-VAX is a bonus. "Look what I found!!!" Not much can be done to protect against someone who really meant no harm, but didn't realize what could be done with the information once it's out on the net. Not much can be done to protect ourselves from the malicious people who do it just to wreak havoc, either - not without a censor, and who wants to pick up that expense?!! A censor would, I believe, be appropriate if we're really worried about this kind of thing, but implementing it would prove difficult, don't you think? In short, since Info-VAX is an open, uncensored forum, there is nothing that can be done to protect us from these types of problems. Peter Manera NYU Graduate School of Business