TWADE@CSVAX.UCD.HEA.IRL.UUCP (06/08/87)
I must heartily disagree with the notion that those of us not on software support are "not entitled" to receive this patch. When d i g i t a l sold us VMS they billed it as a secure (C2) operating system, and we bought it as such. No-one expects d i g i t a l to give free help, but when they make a screw-up of these proportions, then I expect them to put it right for ANYONE who has bought their OS in spite of the usual the-supplier- of-this-product-takes-absolutely-no-responsibility-whatsoever disclaimer that has unfortunately become the industry standard. If I wanted an insecure operating system I would have gone for UNIX ! (By the way, thanks Ed). ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Wade Bitnet: twade@csvax.ucd.hea.irl Systems Programmer Ean: twade@csvax.ucd.irl Dept Computer Science PSI: PSI%27243154000721::TWADE University College Dublin Telex: (0500) 91196 UCD EI Ireland. Voice: +353-1-693244 Ext 2472 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- "There is always a consoling thought in times of trouble -- when it is somebody else's trouble!"
SYSTEM@CRNLNS.BITNET (06/08/87)
Tom, I don't know about you, but if I were managing a VAX that was supposed to be C2 secure, there is NO WAY I would install any patch that came in over the net, particularly one that modifies SECURESHR.EXE! You are trusting that the patch you received is the one that Ed posted, and you are trusting that the patch that was posted was the one that Ed received from DEC. While the probability is high that the patch that you received did indeed come from Ed, and the probability is high that it is the same one that he received from DEC, would you bet your job on it? Unfortunately, it is easy to fake the source of a mail message and only slightly more difficult to modify messages passing through your system. Selden E. Ball, Jr. (Wilson Lab's network and system manager) Cornell University NYNEX: +1-607-255-0688 Laboratory of Nuclear Studies BITNET: SYSTEM@CRNLNS Wilson Synchrotron Lab ARPA: SYSTEM%CRNLNS.BITNET@WISCVM.WISC.EDU Judd Falls & Dryden Road PHYSnet/HEPnet/SPAN: Ithaca, NY, USA 14853 LNS61::SYSTEM = 44283::SYSTEM (node 43.251) p.s. Thanks, Ed!