Newsgroups: comp.admin.policy
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!linus!progress!matth
From: matth@progress.COM (Matthew J. Harper)
Subject: Re: Possibly nefarious users
Message-ID: <1991Jun7.164102.672@progress.com>
Sender: usenet@progress.com (Mr. Usenet)
Nntp-Posting-Host: aruba
Organization: Progress Software Corp.
References: <2D.-_.N@cs.widener.edu> <1991Jun6.214915.18946@athena.mit.edu>
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1991 16:41:02 GMT
Lines: 41

Ron Newman <rnewman@bbn.com> writes:

>In article <2D.-_.N@cs.widener.edu> brendan@cs.widener.edu (Brendan Kehoe) writes:
>>
>> Here's a question: how do other people deal with users that they *think*
>>are doing no-nos around the net?  One of our users had the habit of
>>occasionally going net-surfing and doing the hit-and-run type of
>>attempts (trying 'guest' usually), but I didn't have any real proof--only

>This is a no-no?  This is how many people I know first became
>acquainted with the Arpanet (as it was called back then).  If someone
>has a 'guest' account it seems like this is an invitation for the
>outside world to look around; not much different from 'anonymous' ftp.

This is indeed a no-no. Not a whole lot is being done about it legally at the
moment, but a few cases have come to trial and the accused have been found
guilty of actions such as this.  (Randomly banging on machines to try and
gain access.)

Just because a guest account exists does not mean that it is there for all in
the world to log in and look around!  Perhaps if we looked at a different 
situation from the same outlook:

  If you leave your car unlocked with the keys in the ignition, does this give
anyone who walks by the right to take it for a spin?  Even if they return it
where they found it, nobody saw them do it, and there is really no proof that
they were there?

  I think anyone would be pretty pissed if this happened.

  Is there really a difference?

Matth 



--
Matthew J. Harper                   UUCP: mit-eddie!progress!matth
Progress Software Corp.		    Internet: matth@progress.com
5 Oak Park                          Disclaimer: My words & ideas, That's all.
Bedford, MA  01730
