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RMMAP10.TXT
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1995-04-12
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7KB
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154 lines
MAP10: INTERNET SECURITY
"Cyberspace, in its present condition, has a lot in common
with the 19th Century West. It is vast, unmapped, culturally
and legally ambiguous, verbally terse (unless you happen to
be a court stenographer), hard to get around in, and up for
grabs. Large institutions already claim to own the place,
but most of the actual natives are solitary and independent,
sometimes to the point of sociopathy. It is, of course, a
perfect breeding ground for both outlaws and new ideas about
liberty." -- John Perry Barlow, Crime and Puzzlement
I would love to tell you that the Internet is a safe place and that
there is no reason for you to protect your password. Unfortunately,
there are a LOT of people out there who would LOVE to break into
your account and "use your account as a base for operations (1)."
How prevalent is this? According to Mike Godwin, Chief Legal Counsel
for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, it's "fairly common." (1)
The main defense against people who want to break into your account --
a.k.a. "crackers" -- is your password. Keep your password secure, and
you should never have anything to worry about. Give your password to
others, or write your password down and put it near your computer,
and ... well, you get the picture.
There are some KEY points you need to remember to protect yourself and
your account:
- NEVER give your password to *ANYONE* (1). The whole purpose
of having a password in the first place is to ensure that
*NO ONE* other than you can use your account.
- NEVER write your password down, and especially never write
your password anywhere near your computer.
- NEVER let anyone look over your shoulder while you enter
your password. "Shoulder Surfing" is the most common way
that accounts are hacked.
- NEVER e-mail your password to anyone.
- DO change your password on a regular basis (1). There is no better
way to thwart a would-be cracker than to change your password
as often as possible. Your local Internet service provider will
be able to tell you your system's recommendation on how often
you should change your password, but a good rule of thumb is
to change it at least every three months.
- DON'T pick a password that is found in the dictionary (1). When
you set your password, it is encrypted and stored into a file.
It is really easy for a "cracker" to find your password by
encrypting every word in the dictionary, and then looking
for a match between the words in his encrypted dictionary
and your encrypted password. If he finds a match, he has your
password and can start using your account at will.
- DON'T use passwords that are foreign words. The hacker can
get a foreign dictionary, and ...
- NEVER use your userid as your password. This is the easiest
password to crack.
- DON'T choose a password that relates to you personally (2)
or that can easily be tied to you. Some good examples of BAD
passwords are: your name, your relatives' names, nicknames,
birthdates, license plate numbers, social security numbers (US),
work ID numbers, and telephone numbers.
- DO use a password that is at least eight characters long and
that has a mix of letters and numbers. The minimum length of
a password should be four to six characters long.
- NEVER use the same password on other systems or accounts.
- ALWAYS be especially careful when you telnet or rlogin to
access another computer over the Net. When you telnet or
rlogin, your system sends your password in plain text
over the Net. Some crackers have planted programs
on Internet gateways for the purpose of finding and stealing
these passwords. If you have to telnet frequently, change
your password just as frequently. If you only telnet
occasionally, say, for business trips, set up a new
password (or even a new account) just for the trip. When
you return, change that password (or close out that account).
The best passwords -- the ones that are the easiest for you to
remember, and the ones that are the hardest for crackers to crack --
are passwords that are like those fake words you used to create when
you would cram for a test. For example, to remember that "the Law
of Demand is the inverse relationship between price and quantity
demanded," I created the word TLODITIRBP&QD. NO ONE could hack that
as a password. Best of all, its EASY to remember (well, its easy
for an economist to remember).
Here are a couple of other good passwords:
Sentence Possible password
In 1976 I moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma I76IMTTO
The conference lost 12,000 dollars TCL12KD
U of A Crimson Tide Football is #1 UACTFI#1
Sentences are EASY to remember, and they make passwords that are nearly
impossible to break (and please do NOT use these sample passwords as
your own).
Do NOT use well known abbreviations (for example: wysiwyg), and
do NOT use keyboard patterns (for example: qwerty) as your password.
If you notice weird things happening with your account:
1. Change your password IMMEDIATELY!
2. Tell your local Internet service provider about it.
It is very common for someone whose account has been hacked to
dismiss the signs that the account has been hacked as technical
problems with the system. However, when one account is hacked,
it very often puts the whole system at risk.
Finally, there is one last thing that I want to say before I close:
I feel that "hacking" and "cracking" so violates the spirit of the
Internet that I will do everything in my power to help put the
overgrown babies who engage in such activities where they belong --
behind bars. Until that time comes, however, I'm going to change
my password as often as possible.
HOMEWORK
Contact your local Internet service provider, find out how you
can change your password, and CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD!!
SOURCES:
(1) from a telephone interview with Mike Godwin, Chief Legal Counsel
for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
(2) comments from the Computer Law Association, as quoted in
Bottom Line Personal 6/1/94 p.8 (in Edupage 5.22.92)
(3) quoted from Edupage 06.09.94 (from a story in the Tampa Tribune
6/8/94 Baylife 5)
PATRICK DOUGLAS CRISPEN THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS LETTER DO NOT
PCRISPE1@UA1VM.UA.EDU NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA - TUSCALOOSA
ROADMAP: COPYRIGHT PATRICK CRISPEN 1994. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.