root@dsoft.UUCP (Super user) (11/08/88)
I see a lot of discussion going on about the virus that hit the net, and all I can think of is my past experiences and what I've seen as a result. The Amiga's original virus came about as a harmless joke, similar to this one. It got a great deal of coverage in the news as a result. A very short time after that, at least three new viruses infected Amiga owners, and the war's been running ever since. Not long after that (or was it before?) I began to see articles about a virus that was hitting on IBM's and made it's way into the college disk libraries somewhere. That got big coverage, and as a result, people are going like mad looking for programs like 'flushot' to stop the virus. other people wrote bogus versions of flushot which further infected the systems. The point here, is that now we've got a virus on the nets. It's made big news in the process. People are going to see this and some brilliant idiot is going to think "Wow, what an easy way to get public recognition!" No matter that he's going to screw someone over royally and take down systems all over the world. He wants the prestige, he wants the audience, he wants to be able to say he pulled something over on the bigshots. Watch yourselves real close from now on, and EXPECT another virus to come through the net. it's a trendy thing these days.
aem@ibiza.Miami.Edu (a.e.mossberg) (11/08/88)
In <74@dsoft.UUCP>, <root@dsoft.UUCP> wrote: >The point here, is that now we've got a virus on the nets. It's made >big news in the process. People are going to see this and some brilliant >idiot is going to think "Wow, what an easy way to get public recognition!" >No matter that he's going to screw someone over royally and take down systems >all over the world. He wants the prestige, he wants the audience, he wants >to be able to say he pulled something over on the bigshots. That's a good argument for why the perpetuator should get far more than a slap on the wrist and a cushy job. aem a.e.mossberg - aem@mthvax.miami.edu - aem@mthvax.span (3.91) I don't believe in painted roses or bleeding hearts; While bullets rape the night of the merciful; I'll see you again when the stars fall from the sky; And the moon has turned red over One Tree Hill; We run like a river to the sea,
mhw@wittsend.LBP.HARRIS.COM (Michael H. Warfield) (11/09/88)
In article <74@dsoft.UUCP> root@dsoft.UUCP (Super user) writes: >..... People are going to see this and some brilliant >idiot is going to think "Wow, what an easy way to get public recognition!" >No matter that he's going to screw someone over royally and take down systems >all over the world. He wants the prestige, he wants the audience, he wants >to be able to say he pulled something over on the bigshots. Agreed! And all the more reason to roast this guy over slow coals. I others see him get away with it (and probably end up with a good job in computer security to boot) they will definitly get the idea that this is the "in" thing to do. Lock him away but good, and they might think a bit before risking a 20 year sentence for a "prank". BTW: For mtr@mace.cc.purdue.edu: I'm not in favor of public executions either, but there are always exceptions. Although, unless you can get it past the network censors (Boob Tube not ours) it won't get the coverage it deserves :-). --- Michael H. Warfield (The Mad Wizard) | gatech.edu!galbp!wittsend!mhw (404) 270-2123 / 270-2098 | mhw@wittsend.LBP.HARRIS.COM An optimist believes we live in the best of all possible worlds. A pessimist is sure of it!
weemba@garnet.berkeley.edu (Obnoxious Math Grad Student) (11/09/88)
Note: news.sysadmin (about administrating systems) is more appropriate than news.admin (about administrating netnews) for discussing the worm. Followups have been directed there. In article <6470@galbp.LBP.HARRIS.COM>, mhw@wittsend (Michael H. Warfield) writes: > Agreed! And all the more reason to roast this guy over slow >coals. If others see him get away with it (and probably end up with a >good job in computer security to boot) they will definitely get the idea >that this is the "in" thing to do. Lock him away but good, and they >might think a bit before risking a 20 year sentence for a "prank". WAKE UP! It doesn't matter if people do or do not get the idea that this is an "in" thing to do. All it takes is ONE person to wreck REAL havoc on the ARPANET. Just ONE. Think about it. Whether or not *most* people get the idea that random cracking is bad, you should run your system on the assumption that there is ONE person out there who is going to TOTALLY TRASH your system--if you let him. Random cracking can take place nowadays because people like you are so goddam concerned with getting the punitives right. Do you leave your front door wide open with signs saying "expensive stuff inside", trust- ing to the LAW to protect your possessions? HELL NO!!! So why do you treat your computers in this manner? Hoping that the legal system is going to protect you here is so totally misguided. PROTECT YOURSELF! ucbvax!garnet!weemba Matthew P Wiener/Brahms Gang/Berkeley CA 94720