weemba@garnet.berkeley.edu (Obnoxious Math Grad Student) (11/10/88)
This didn't belong in news.groups in the first place. In article <970@ncar.ucar.edu>, woods@ncar (Greg Woods) writes: >>[Paul Anderson asks you to vote YES the wormer did us a service or NO, >> the wormer deserves to get nailed.] > What if you happen to think these two choices are not mutually exclusive? Speaking of which: >and we simply can't let it go unpunished, or the next "brilliant" >college student that finds a security hole will be tempted to do the >same thing. What makes you think THESE are mutually exclusive? I expect that the real lesson the bad guys will learn is to not do something like this on your own accounts. Develop it at home, and test it/release it at some campus after breaking into them. Meanwhile, all those who adopt the above exclusive or thinking about security will falsely conclude that a heavy Morris penalty is an increase in security. What a joke. Except it isn't funny. Also: I don't like this usage of "we" here, however generic it may have been. We don't have much say. The courts will decide these things, not a pissed-off ARPANET lynch mob. And I personally just don't think that Morris is going to be found guilty of much, or at worst, serve any jail time or pay much in the way of fines. Just a hunch. > I also do not >believe that leaving my back window unlocked is justification for stealing >my stereo (stupid though it might be on my part). Yes. Do you tell your boss that you were "stupid" though? Is security IQ going to make it into sysadmin job requirements perhaps? > There ARE other ways of >publicizing the existence of security holes without actually exploiting them >at GREAT hassle and expense to the entire net. Yes. But will they get IMPLEMENTED? Publicity is meaningless. Action and action only is what matters. > If my neighbor notices that >I've left my window unlocked, he doesn't have to break into my house to show >that to me. And if he tells you year after year: you know, your window is open, do you get all pissed off when he breaks into your home so as to re-arrange the furniture in your living room--including blocking the door with your favor- ite couch? Maybe you do, but if you don't learn to shut you window, you are an idiot. And shutting the window is the real issue. ucbvax!garnet!weemba Matthew P Wiener/Brahms Gang/Berkeley CA 94720