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-
- Computer underground Digest Wed May 25, 1994 Volume 6 : Issue 45
- ISSN 1004-042X
-
- Editors: Jim Thomas and Gordon Meyer (TK0JUT2@NIU.BITNET)
- Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
- Retiring Shadow Archivist: Stanton McCandlish
- Shadow-Archivists: Dan Carosone / Paul Southworth
- Ralph Sims / Jyrki Kuoppala
- Ian Dickinson
- Covey Editors: D. Bannaducci & S. Jones
-
- CONTENTS, #6.45 (May 25, 1994)
-
- File 1--The Net Strikes Back (Greencard Spamming reprint)
- File 2--Netcom cancels Canter's Account (fwd)
- File 3--What is Spamming? (fwd)
- File 4--Fidonet Crackdown in Italy - Follow-up (24 May '94)
- File 5--PGP 2.6 IS NOW AVAILABLE!
- File 6--Re: CuD 6.43 - Response to Skulason
- File 7--Re: File 2--Re: CuD 6.42 (Response to Review of Anti-Virus Book)
- File 8--In Re CuD 6.43, Possible "Court Fraud" twist in AA Case
- File 9--Ontario Provincial Police harass Internet Users
- File 10--RSI Network Newsletter
- File 11--Special Issue on Electronic Communication and Sociology
-
- Cu-Digest is a weekly electronic journal/newsletter. Subscriptions are
- available at no cost electronically.
-
- CuD is available as a Usenet newsgroup: comp.society.cu-digest
-
- Or, to subscribe, send a one-line message: SUB CUDIGEST your name
- Send it to LISTSERV@UIUCVMD.BITNET or LISTSERV@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU
- The editors may be contacted by voice (815-753-0303), fax (815-753-6302)
- or U.S. mail at: Jim Thomas, Department of Sociology, NIU, DeKalb, IL
- 60115, USA.
-
- Issues of CuD can also be found in the Usenet comp.society.cu-digest
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- LAWSIG, and DL1 of TELECOM; on GEnie in the PF*NPC RT
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- the PC Telecom forum under "computing newsletters;"
- On Delphi in the General Discussion database of the Internet SIG;
- on RIPCO BBS (312) 528-5020 (and via Ripco on internet);
- and on Rune Stone BBS (IIRGWHQ) (203) 832-8441.
- CuD is also available via Fidonet File Request from
- 1:11/70; unlisted nodes and points welcome.
-
- UNITED STATES: etext.archive.umich.edu (141.211.164.18) in /pub/CuD/
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- wuarchive.wustl.edu in /doc/EFF/Publications/CuD/
- EUROPE: nic.funet.fi in pub/doc/cud/ (Finland)
- ftp.warwick.ac.uk in pub/cud/ (United Kingdom)
-
- JAPAN: ftp.glocom.ac.jp /mirror/ftp.eff.org/
-
- COMPUTER UNDERGROUND DIGEST is an open forum dedicated to sharing
- information among computerists and to the presentation and debate of
- diverse views. CuD material may be reprinted for non-profit as long
- as the source is cited. Authors hold a presumptive copyright, and
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- specified. Readers are encouraged to submit reasoned articles
- relating to computer culture and communication. Articles are
- preferred to short responses. Please avoid quoting previous posts
- unless absolutely necessary.
-
- DISCLAIMER: The views represented herein do not necessarily represent
- the views of the moderators. Digest contributors assume all
- responsibility for ensuring that articles submitted do not
- violate copyright protections.
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Date: Tue, 24 May 1994 13:50:31 -0700
- From: hlr@WELL.SF.CA.US(Howard Rheingold)
- Subject: File 1--The Net Strikes Back (Greencard Spamming reprint)
-
- The Net Strikes Back
- by Howard Rheingold
-
- Originally published as a "Tomorrow" column in the San Francisco Examiner.
-
- How should Internet citizens respond when ambitious
- entrepreneurs violate the Net's unwritten rules of conduct? The
- question arose recently when two Arizona lawyers indiscriminately
- posted advertisements to thousands of inappropriate online forums -- a
- gross breach of Netiquette known as "spamming." Can the Net defend
- itself against practices such as spamming without endangering the
- freedom of expression that has made this global electronic forum
- valuable?
-
- Some Netheads responded to the lawyers' ad barrage with
- guerilla tactics, "flaming" the spammers -- jamming their electronic
- mailboxes with impolite notes. A minority of zealots suggested
- "fax-bombing" the perpetrators' office -- sending endless loops of
- black paper faxes to the attorneys' advertised fax number. But the
- proposed punishment that won the widest favor was one that seemed to
- best fit the "crime:" Netizens were urged to e-mail the two lawyers
- and ask for information about their business by paper mail. If enough
- polite but bogus requests were blasted back at the spammers, these Net
- users reasoned, then perhaps the price of finding one paying client
- would be raised too high.
-
- But in the end, the most effective way of safeguarding the
- Net's democratic code is neither guerilla war not the tyranny of
- rules. Under the banner of "tools, not rules," some Usenet enthusiasts
- have created computer programs to deal with online boors. A
- "kill-file" can cause anything written by specified person to be
- discarded without viewing; the messages will arrive at your computer
- community, and others can choose to read them, but they won't be shown
- to you as an option when you check different conversations (known as
- newsgroups) for new postings.
-
- If a pushy salesman wants to crash a communal conversation
- about health care reform or Haiti, the 16,000 people involved in that
- mass conversation can put the offender's electronic address in their
- kill files, and postings from the offending electronic address will no
- longer be displayed on their computers.
-
- On Usenet, nobody can stop you from spouting any kind of
- nonsense, but anybody can make you disappear from his or her own
- screen. Using the available tools to bar unwelcome solicitors is far
- easier than limiting freedom of expression on the Net -- it's also
- morally preferable.
-
- Some people are now talking about filtering out all Usenet
- messages sent by known spammers to entire computer communities on the
- network. This mass screening would spare hundreds of Usenet
- participants in each of those communities the trouble of listing the
- spammer in their personal kill files. It would be easy for computers
- on the Net to identify accounts that broadcast large amounts of
- messages to abnormally large numbers of newsgroups, and alert other
- communities instantly.
-
- Attention is the currency of cyberspace. If spammers learn
- that the Net will demonstrate its disapproval and turn off its
- attention in an organized manner, maybe they'll go away before they
- damage the cybernetic commons.
-
- The attack of the spammers is probably just the first of many
- coming collisions between human greed and common courtesy on the Net.
- We need to get better at building computer tools and social contracts
- that deal with such problems without entangling ourselves in rules and
- regulations.
- ###
-
- Howard Rheingold hlr@well.sf.ca.us
- Millennium Whole Earth Catalog
- 27 Gate Five Road * Sausalito, CA 94965 * Vox 415 332 1716 * Fax 415
- 332 3110
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Tue, 24 May 1994 18:22:29 -0400 (EDT)
- From: Stanton McCandlish <mech@EFF.ORG>
- Subject: File 2--Netcom cancels Canter's Account (fwd)
-
- Date--Fri, 20 May 1994 17:53:37 -0700 (PDT)
- >From--Glee Harrah Cady <glee@netcom.com
-
- Dear Fellow Network Providers and other interested parties.
-
- NETCOM On-Line Communications has taken the step of cancelling the
- service of Laurence Canter of Canter and Siegel, the lawyer commonly
- referred to as the "Green Card Lawyer". Mr. Canter had been a
- customer of NETCOM in the past. He had been cautioned for what we
- consider abuse of NETCOM's system resources and his systematic and
- willful actions that do not comply with the codes of behavior of
- USENET.
-
- Mr. Canter has been widely quoted in the print and on-line media about
- his intention to continue his practice of advertising the services of
- his law firm using USENET newsgroups. He has also widely posted his
- intention to sell his services to advertise for others using the
- newsgroups. We do not choose to be the provider that will carry his
- messages.
-
- NETCOM believes that we can and will refuse service to people who have
- demonstrated that they do not respect the guidelines preventing
- posting advertisements to inappropriate USENET newsgroups. As a
- commercial Internet service provider, NETCOM encourages commercial
- activity on the Internet and believes it to be an important part of a
- complete service. However, NETCOM also believes that commercial
- activities need to be undertaken in an orderly and thoughtful manner,
- with attention to appropriate usage and sensitivity to the cooperative
- culture of the Internet community.
-
- Our position is that NETCOM can be compared to a public restaurant
- where a customer may be refused service if the customer is not wearing
- shoes. For the health of the other customers and the good of the
- restaurant, that customer may be turned away. NETCOM believes that
- being a responsible provider entails refusing service to customers who
- would endanger the health of the community. Customers, commercial or
- not, who will contribute to the health of the community, respect the
- laws of the land, and the rights of others, will be welcome.
-
- With best regards for a expanded Internet community, I am
-
- John Whalen,
- President, NETCOM On-Line Communication Services
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Tue, 24 May 1994 12:02:11 -0700
- From: Ken Miller <kcmiller@NETCOM.COM>
- Subject: File 3--What is Spamming? (fwd)
-
- In reply to the question "What is Spamming:
-
- Spamming is sending out junk mail to a large number of newsgroups or lists.
- Recent examples of spam include the infamous Cantor & Siegel Green Card
- posting (5000+ newsgroups), Taford's Investment Opportunities (a piker at a
- mere 200 or so lists), and the above-mentioned Skinny Dip (all the alt.*
- and comp.* groups, at last count).
-
- The use of the word "spam" in this context has its origin in a Monty Python
- skit. (Spam (tm) occupies a significant place in Python symbology.)
- Downloaded from alt.fan.monty-python:
-
- <begin downloaded document>
-
- From--djaffe@mirna.together.uvm.edu (Douglas Jaffe)
- Subject--Re--Need Spam script
-
- Steve McGrew (stevem@comtch.iea.com) wrote:
- : Could someone either post or mail me the script to the Spam skit? Thanks.
-
- : --
- : Brian the Half a Lumberjack
-
- The Spam Sketch from the second series of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and
- "Monty Python's Previous Record"
-
- (Spam = Spiced Pork And Ham, a sort of cheap luncheon meat)
-
- Scene: A cafe. One table is occupied by a group of Vikings with horned
- helmets on. A man and his wife enter.
-
- Man (Eric Idle): You sit here, dear.
- Wife (Graham Chapman in drag): All right.
- Man (to Waitress): Morning!
- Waitress (Terry Jones, in drag as a bit of a rat-bag): Morning!
- Man: Well, what've you got?
- Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam;
- egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage
- and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam
- bacon spam tomato and spam;
- Vikings (starting to chant): Spam spam spam spam...
- Waitress: ...spam spam spam egg and spam; spam spam spam spam spam spam baked
- beans spam spam spam...
- Vikings (singing): Spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam!
- Waitress: ...or Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a
- Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with
- truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam.
- Wife: Have you got anything without spam?
- Waitress: Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in
- it.
- Wife: I don't want ANY spam!
- Man: Why can't she have egg bacon spam and sausage?
- Wife: THAT'S got spam in it!
- Man: Hasn't got as much spam in it as spam egg sausage and spam, has it?
- Vikings: Spam spam spam spam (crescendo through next few lines)
- Wife: Could you do the egg bacon spam and sausage without the spam then?
- Waitress: Urgghh!
- Wife: What do you mean 'Urgghh'? I don't like spam!
- Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!)
- Waitress: Shut up!
- Vikings: Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!
- Waitress: Shut up! (Vikings stop) Bloody Vikings! You can't have egg bacon
- spam and sausage without the spam.
- Wife (shrieks): I don't like spam!
- Man: Sshh, dear, don't cause a fuss. I'll have your spam. I love it.
- I'm having spam spam spam spam spam spam spam beaked beans spam spam
- spam and spam!
- Vikings (singing): Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!
- Waitress: Shut up!! Baked beans are off.
- Man: Well could I have her spam instead of the baked beans then?
- Waitress: You mean spam spam spam spam spam spam... (but it is too late and
- the Vikings drown her words)
- Vikings (singing elaborately): Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful
- spam! Spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam spa-a-a-a-a-am spam. Lovely spam!
- Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Lovely spam! Spam spam
- spam spam!
- __
-
- djaffe@mirna.together.uvm.edu
-
- <end downloaded document>
-
- For more on spamming, check out alt.current-events.net-abuse and/or
- news.admin.misc.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Mon, 24 May 1994 18:18:19 PDT
- From: Bernardo Parrella <berny@well.sf.ca.us.>
- Subject: File 4--Fidonet Crackdown in Italy - Follow-up (24 May '94)
-
-
- "The crackdown needed to be done, software piracy has become a National
- sport in Italy. Unfortunately, the operation rapidly became too wide for our
- forces: right now, here in Pesaro we are only three Prosecutors, quite busy
- with penal trials, in court all day long. We will try to do our best with
- the less possible damage for the entire community."
-
- Here are the explanatory words of Gaetano Savoldelli Pedrocchi, the Pesaro
- Prosecutor who is managing the investigations that last week led to a
- nationwide crackdown on Fidonet Italia BBSes
-
- During the operation - confidentially known as "Hardware 1" - more than 60
- (some sources go up to 130) Bulletin Board Systems have been visited and
- searched by police officials.
-
- In the central and northern part of the country, several Fidonet nodes were
- closed and dozens of operators were charged of "conspiracy with unknown for
- distribution of illegally copied software and appropriation of secret
- passwords."
-
- Some figures say the seizures included more than 120 computers, 300
- streamer-cassettes and CD-ROMs, 60,000 floppy disks, an imprecise number of
- modems and other electronic devices.
-
- In some cases, police officials sealed off rooms and garages where the BBSes
- were operated or closed all the hardware they found in a closet.
- Several Fidonet operators (generally students, professionals, small-company
- owners) lost their personal data because every magnetic support was
- "suspected to carry pirated software".
-
- Aimed to crack a distribution ring of illegal software run by two people
- using the publicly available Fidonet nodelist, investigators searched and
- seized every single site of the list - even those that had never had any
- contact with the two suspected.
-
- Also, many operators not inquired by police were forced to immediately shut
- down their systems, searching for possible illegal software covertly
- uploaded on their BBSes.
-
- As a consequence of such indiscriminate operations, the real, very few
- pirate boards had the chance to quickly hide their businesses - sources say.
-
- "I do not believe to this scenario," said the Pesaro Prosecutor in an
- interview by SottoVoce Magazine. "We acted after precise information about
- the activities of a specific data-bank: if some operators have nothing to do
- with the charges, we'll verify it as soon as possible."
-
- Questioned about further investigations against BBSes users, the Prosecutor
- said: "We'll see later....at the present, users can sleep peacefully:
- otherwise, I cannot imagine how many people should be investigated. I do not
- want to criminalize the entire population. Even if the inquiry has become so
- vast, this is not a subject of vital importance for our country. It is
- mostly a fiscal and bureaucratic issue, a matter of small-scale but spread
- illegality."
-
- However, rumors say other inquires are currently underway in other cities,
- and even the Criminalpol is working on similar issues.
-
- Assisting the investigated people, some lawyers already asked for the
- immediate return of the confiscated materials, while others suggested to
- wait for better times. In any case, it will probably take months (years?)
- before receiving official answers regarding the seizures.
-
- Struggling to re-open in some way their systems, Fidonet operators are also
- working to get the attention of mainstream media on the issue - with little
- success, so far. After an article published by La Repubblica, two local
- newspapers, Il Mattino and Il Giornale di Brescia, run brief reports on May
- 15, both centered on "a wide software piracy ring cracked by police
- officials".
-
- But the real activity is happening inside and around electronic communities.
-
- MC-Link and especially Agora' Telematica (the biggest Italian systems) are
- doing a great job, offering space for news, opinions and comments - also
- acting as connection links between the decimated net of BBSes and worried
- individuals scattered in the country.
-
- Here is just one example: "....police officials seized everything, including
- three PCs (one broken), a couple of modem (just fixed for some friends),
- floppies, phone cables, phone-books. Now Dark Moon is off, hoping to have at
- least one line available in a few days, maybe at 2400. I fear that more
- raids will soon follow elsewhere. So, please, stay alert..."
-
- A catching dynamism flourishes from the BBSes linked to Cybernet. Although
- some of them are currently not operating, a special issue of the Corriere
- Telematico was just released over the net and their printed voice, Decoder
- Magazine, will soon distribute news, testimonies, comments on "Operation
- Hardware 1".
-
- PeaceLink has set up a defense committee-news center in Taranto and its
- spokesperson, Alessandro Marescotti, will sign an article for the next issue
- of the weekly magazine Avvenimenti.
-
- Promptly alerted, the International online community gave good response -
- quickly redistributing the news over the Net and sending supportive
- messages.
-
- Michael Baker, Chairman of Electronic Frontiers Australia, sent this email:
- "To that end I am writing to offer assistance to anyone in Italy who wants
- to set up such an organisation. Recently I (along with others) have set up
- Electronic Frontiers Australia, and I am now its Chairman. Other national EF
- groups have been, or are being, set up in several other countries (Canada,
- Ireland, Norway, UK and Japan)....if there is anything we can do to help,
- please ask."
-
- Shifting toward politics, on May 19, the first working day of the new
- Italian Cabinet, six Members of the Reformers group presented a written
- question to the Ministers of Justice and Interior.
-
- After a short introduction about telecom systems, the document gives an
- account of the facts and asks three final questions to the Government:
- "- if it will intend to open an investigation to verify if the raids ordered
- by the Pesaro Prosecutor's office were prejudicial to the constitutionally
- guaranteed freedom of expression;
- - if it is not the case to set up a better and greater team of computer
- experts in order to avoid further random seizures of electronic devices that
- lead to shut down the BBSes;
- - if it is not the occasion to confirm that current legislation does not
- charge system operators with objective responsibility for users' activities
- on telecom systems."
-
- Although the Fidonet sysops community (about 300 people) is still quite
- uncertain regarding its future, many of them feel the urgent need to
- overcome a sort of cultural and social isolation that clearly surrounds the
- telecom scene in Italy.
-
- At the moment the main issue is how to raise public interest and political
- pressure to obtain clear laws in support of civil rights in the electronic
- medium.
-
- Ideas and proposals are developing from several electronic laboratories,
- such as the Community Networking conference on Agora' Telematica.
-
- "We underestimate our strength: if we could just be able to set up an
- Italian Association of Telecom Users we could put pressure on political and
- legislative bodies."
- "We must attract common people, through hundreds of tables and events in the
- streets more than online, even if we do not have a Kapor to support us."
- "What about a 24-hours silence from any system in the country with
- simultaneous events in each city and village where a BBS operates?"
-
- The situation is rather fluid and in motion. Stay connect!
-
-
- - Bernardo Parrella
-
- <b.parrella@agora.stm.it>
- <berny@well.sf.ca.us>
-
- electronic distribution of this posting is greatly encouraged,
- preserving its original version, including the header and this notice
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Tue, 24 May 1994 12:17:43 -0700
- From: Tommy the Tourist <nobody@SODA.BERKELEY.EDU>
- Subject: File 5--PGP 2.6 IS NOW AVAILABLE!
-
- +---------- Forwarded message ----------
- _MIT PGP Release_
-
- PGP 2.6 IS NOW AVAILABLE!
-
-
- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
-
- MIT is pleased to announce the release of PGP 2.6, a free
- public-key encryption program for non-commercial use. PGP 2.6
- provides for digital signatures and confidentiality of files and
- messages.
-
- PGP 2.6 is distributed in source form for all platforms.
- For convenience, an MSDOS executable is also part of this release.
- Because source is available, anyone may examine it to verify the
- program's integrity.
-
- PGP 2.6 uses the RSAREF(TM) Cryptographic Toolkit, supplied by RSA
- Data Security, Inc. PGP 2.6 is being released by MIT with the
- cooperation of RSADSI.
-
- In order to fully protect RSADSI's intellectual property rights
- in public-key technology, PGP 2.6 is designed so that the
- messages it creates after September 1, 1994 will be unreadable by
- earlier versions of PGP that infringe patents licensed exclusively to
- Public Key Partners by MIT and Stanford University. PGP 2.6 will
- continue to be able to read messages generated by those earlier
- versions.
-
- Because earlier versions of PGP (including MIT's Beta test PGP
- 2.5 release) will not be able to read messages created by PGP 2.6
- after September 1, 1994, MIT strongly urges all PGP users to upgrade
- to the new format.
-
- The intent of the format change is to discourage continued use
- of earlier infringing software in the U.S., and to give people
- adequate time to upgrade. As part of the release process, MIT
- commissioned an independent legal review of the intellectual property
- issues surrounding earlier releases of PGP and PGP keyservers. This
- review determined that use of PGP 2.3 within the United States
- infringes a patent licensed by MIT to RSADSI, and that keyservers
- that primarily accept 2.3 keys are mostly likely contributing to
- this infringement. For that reason, MIT encourages all
- non-commercial PGP users in the U.S. to upgrade to PGP 2.6, and
- all keyserver operators to no longer accept keys that are
- identified as being produced by PGP 2.3.
-
- How to get PGP 2.6 from MIT:
-
- PGP 2.6 is available from MIT only over the Internet. Use anonymous
- FTP to login to net-dist.mit.edu. Login as anonymous. Look in the
- directory /pub/PGP. In this directory, available to everyone, is a
- README file a copy of the RSAREF license and a copy of a
- software license from MIT. Please read the README file and these
- licenses carefully. Take particular note of the provisions about
- export control. THe README file contains more detailed instructions
- on how to get PGP 2.6.
-
- Also in /pub/PGP is a copy of the PGP Manual (files pgpdoc1.txt
- and pgpdoc2.txt) and the file pgformat.doc that describes the PGP
- message, signature and key formats, including the modifications
- for PGP 2.6. These are being made available without the
- distribution restrictions that pertain to the PGP source and
- executable code.
-
- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
- Version: 2.6
-
- iQBVAgUBLeGAOlUFZvpNDE7hAQG4yQH+PbABiBvnFQU0u084Ed9whx988IaUNpIp
- Sl4Ab950SChJbewZNvcpQ/yEMjF2wi6PhUx4k3VySUvKmaC6W7rhNQ==
- =+qTj
- -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Fri, 20 May 94 10:25:57 EDT
- From: morgan@ENGR.UKY.EDU(Wes Morgan)
- Subject: File 6--Re: CuD 6.43 - Response to Skulason
-
- In CuD 6.43 frisk@COMPLEX.IS(Fridrik Skulason) writes:
-
- >The problem is that becoming a virus "expert" five years ago was much,
- >much, easier than becoming one today...
-
- Well, there's a reason for this difficulty that you didn't mention.
- However, you illustrate this additional problem later in your message:
-
- >>What a lot of people don't know is that other public systems have been
- >>a target of the same people.
- >
- >And what is wrong with that ? Public systems that distribute viruses
- >any way or other are IMHO a part of the virus problem....they are not
- >serving any useful purpose, and I will not oppose any attempts by
- >anyone to shut them down.
-
- How, then, will new "virus experts" arise? Since I don't have extensive
- contacts in this particular business, I can only examine the viruses that
- find their way into our labs. One doesn't learn much from 4 viruses...
-
- >I will not actively attempt to shut them down myself, though...
-
- I'm glad to see that comment...
-
- >Just look at all the anti-virus products that have been withdrawn from
- >the market, discontinued or just falled hopelessly far behind. On the
- >other hand, there is not a single good new anti-virus product (written
- >from scratch, that is) that I am aware of, which has appeared in the
- >last two years.
-
- In the absence of new "virus experts," how will new anti-virus products
- appear at all?
-
- >Simple nonsense. In fact, there is a high degree of co-operation among
- >most of the companies in the anti-virus industry.
-
- That may be true, but there is zero cooperation between the industry
- and interested parties out in the world.
-
- I see this as a close cousin to the general problem in computer security.
- I'm a good guy - a white hat, if you will - but there is absolutely no
- way for me to "establish my credentials" within the rather close-knit
- security groups. Everyone tells me, "go to conferences, publish papers,
- and things will open up to you." Well, folks, that isn't an option for
- most of us; I don't have the money to go to conferences, and I don't have
- a prayer of publishing a paper until I can get my hands on research ma-
- terial. It's a textbook case of Catch-22...and a lot of *good* people
- are chafing under it. (Heck, one vendor wouldn't even give me an update
- on a bug that *I* reported!)
-
- Please don't misunderstand me. I'm *extremely* grateful for the efforts
- put forth by the anti-virus industry. It's just that I'd like to learn
- more - and, perhaps, even contribute something back - and I can't even
- get my foot in the *$&^%(#(# door.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Fri, 20 May 1994 10:34:58 -0500
- From: Jason Zions <jazz@HAL.COM>
- Subject: File 7--Re: File 2--Re: CuD 6.42 (Response to Review of Anti-Virus Book
- )
-
- >>For example:
- >>"It would be difficult to create more [virus] experts, because the
- >>learning curve is very shallow. The first time you disassemble
- >>something like Jerusalem virus, it takes a week. After you've done a
- >>few hundred viruses, you could whip through something as simple as
- >>Jerusalem in 15 minutes."
- >
- >Well, this may not make sense to you, but nevertheless it is pretty
- >accurate.
-
- Not in the English language it's not; it's still nonsense. A shallow
- learning curve would make it easier to become a virus expert, not more
- difficult.
-
- >simply because the number of viruses is so much greater, and because of the
- >"advances" in virus development during the past few years.
-
- If the advances are so great as to render old methods for understanding them
- obsolete, then a current expert (e.g. you) and a newcomer have exactly the
- same learning curve to climb. If the advance is not so great, then a
- newcomer, having climbed the original learning curve, has the same
- incremental distance to climb as you. I assert that changes in the world of
- Physics have been far more complex and been far more paradigm-shattering
- than anything in the virus world, and yet we still turn out physicists by
- the hundreds.
-
- > Public systems that distribute viruses
- >any way or other are IMHO a part of the virus problem....they are not
- >serving any useful purpose, and I will not oppose any attempts by
- >anyone to shut them down.
-
- It has been suggested that one of the purposes such public virus
- repositories provide is one of education; that is, newcomers to the
- anti-virus world have a place to grab examples of viruses to disassemble. Do
- you disagree with that purpose?
-
- >>"It's my opinion, most
- >>of these kinds of things are really attempts to keep access to
- >>information from competitors."
- >
- >Simple nonsense. In fact, there is a high degree of co-operation among
- >most of the companies in the anti-virus industry. One of the main
- >functions of CARO is to share information - in particular virus
- >samples, but also useful technical information. For example, earlier
- >this month there was considerable discussion on the detection of the
- >two SMEG viruses that have just been reported in the UK.
-
- Ah; it's an oligopoly, then. A small number of putative competitors
- restrict information to themselves as a barrier to competition. If the
- conspiracy theorists are correct, that small number of competitors
- also create and distribute enough "new" viruses to keep the learning
- curve high for someone not already a member of the club. This is, of
- course, merely a conspiracy theory; I do not assert that this is so.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Fri, 20 May 1994 18:31:53 -0400 (ADT)
- From: The Advocate <cudigest@mindvox.phantom.com>
- Subject: File 8--In Re CuD 6.43, Possible "Court Fraud" in AA Case
-
- In CuD 6.43, hkhenson@CUP.PORTAL.COM writes:
-
- >To bring you up to date, I uncovered evidence of outright fraud on the
- >court system, and brought it to the attention of the FBI two weeks
- >ago. It involved the San Francisco US Attorney who unilatterally took
- >a motion off a judge's calendar after it had been placed there by a
- >court clerk.
- >
- >I presented court records to the FBI agent which clearly showed the
- >problem. The agent claimed to be absolutely baffled. He admitted
- >that I had shown clear evidence of serious problems which he said he
- >had discussed over the last two weeks with his superiours. He
- >admitted that I had every right to be concerned, but was certain that the
- >FBI would be unable to do anything at all --since they had to ask the
- >very person responsible for the fraud for permission to investigate!
- >
- >Neither he nor his bosses were so naive as to believe this request
- >would be permitted. Please note: there are agents of the government
- >who can committ serious crimes--in this case sedition, i.e.,
- >undermining the constitutional provisions for separation of
- >powers--and get clean away with it.
-
- You must be talking to a very junior FBI agent. because there are
- lots of ways to remedy this problem. First, presentation of the
- evidence to the clerk of the court. They can send the information to
- the judge, who can convene a contempt hearing, and have information
- developed by US Marshals, the FBI under order and release of US
- Attorneys files. THe Judge can also complain to the justice dept
- office of professional responsibility or the Public Integrity Section
- of the Criminal Division or The Inspector General of the DOJ.
-
- The evidence can also be presented to the Chief judge of the district,
- and these old men are not to be messed with. They are life Lords of
- the bench, and unlikely to Like a political appointee of the Clinton
- administration acting out of line.
-
- The third course is to call the Congressional over-sight commision.
- They can have the GAO investigate as well as hold hearings, and
- wouldn't the republican senators like to stick it to Janet Reno.
-
- The fourth course is to send the information to Jack Anderson. he's
- always good for a red hot pin to the eyeball.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Mon, 23 May 1994 11:00:26 -0400 (EDT)
- From: Stanton McCandlish <mech@EFF.ORG>
- Subject: File 9--Ontario Provincial Police harass Internet Users
-
- Date--Fri, 20 May 1994 22:00:16 -0400 (EDT)
- From--[anonymous EFF member]
-
- Note: due to the current political climate in Ontario, please do not
- forward this story over the net with my name on it. Reading the story
- will explain why. There is increasing evidence that with in the next
- two years we may see in Canada a similar situation as has been taking
- place in Italy over the last few weeks with the shutting down of
- 'amature' BBS sites.
-
- As reported in Toronto's EYE Newspaper [eye@io.org] (similar to New
- Yorks Village Voice) dated May 19. 1994
-
- The London Ontario detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police have
- begun a campaign of harassment against local University Internet users
- who are attempting to use the 'net to gain information on the Karla
- Homolka trial. A University of Western Ontario (London) student had
- his Internet account frozen by the university computer staff when
- requested by the Police. The reason for this lay in the student's name
- being left on the text of a FAQ of the details of the trial. Another
- student in Toronto had Faxed this material (which had been Emailed to
- him) to the Toronto media, and the offices of the Premier of Ontario
- and the Attorney-General as an act of provocation against the Ban (his
- regular anonymous forwarding site was not working).The problem was
- that he had forgotten to remove the other persons name and account
- number from the original E-mail that was sent out.
- The police action against the student's account was done without a
- warrant, and also involved the questioning of the student at the local
- police station. Likewise the students home computer was searched
- without a warrant by using the threat of criminal charges. The
- Student's computer account was re-instated, but he was required to
- turn over all incoming Email to the police under the threat of
- criminal charges if he did not cooperate. A list of about 50 people
- who had received Homolka FAQ's were passed on to the police. The
- important part of this entire situation is that no one, including the
- Ontario Attorney-General office is certain that the ban applies to the
- Internet. The ban states that details of the trial cannot be published
- in the print media but there is no ban on possession of information.
- There is no mention of the Internet, nor the use of computer systems
- in the ban. Further, there is no official investigation of the
- Internet on the part of the Ontario Provincial Police, except for this
- one detachment.
-
- One of the questions raised is the ethics of the University of
- Western Ontario's computer department. Their cooperation with the
- police was based on a fear of having their computer equipment
- confiscated (similar to the case of the University of Cambridge in
- England). If the situation had taken place with in the library system
- of the university, it would not have been tolerated by the library
- staff due to the long held tradition in that profession of the defence
- of freedom of speech. If the Internet is to remain open this set of
- values will have to become part of the professional comittment of the
- MIS staff of universities as well.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Sat, 14 May 1994 00:35:37 -0400 (EDT)
- From: email list server <listserv@SNYSIDE.SUNNYSIDE.COM>
- Subject: File 10--RSI Network Newsletter
-
- Typing and mousing injuries are becoming a serious problem. Maybe your
- organization can help build awareness among computer users.
-
- Consider joining the the RSI Network Newsletter. It is a free
- publication, distributed over Internet once every two months, with
- occasional supplements. Since it is a moderated list, the traffic amounts
- to about 20K/month on average.
-
- We have changed from a manually managed subscription list to an automated
- one, so I feel better about advertising the RSI Network Newsletter's
- existence to a wider group.
-
- The RSI Network Newsletter covers all topics of interest to people with
- arm, hand, wrist, shoulder injuries from typing, or people who have to
- cope with computers even though they have an injury of this sort. A Topics
- Index follows.
-
- Issue 17 came out in early May and Issue 18 will be out by the end of June.
-
-
- I edit and publish the electronic version on Internet, pro bono. Please
- feel free to repost or redistribute this message. You may subscribe as an
- individual, or subscribe a list at your organization. Back issues are
- widely available by Gopher and FTP. Please Email me directly for more
- information on back issues.
-
-
- Getting On the List: subscribing
- --------------------------------
- Send a mail message to:
-
- majordomo@world.std.com
-
- The Subject doesn't matter. Put this into the body
- of your message just as it appears here:
-
- subscribe rsi
-
-
- Getting Off the List: unsubscribing
- -----------------------------------
- Send a mail message to:
-
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-
- The Subject doesn't matter. Send the message:
-
- unsubscribe rsi
-
-
- ...COD
-
- --
- Craig O'Donnell | Editor, RSI Network Newsletter on Internet
- dadadata@world.std.com | Author of Cool Mac Sounds (Hayden 1993)
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Mon, 23 May 94 17:57:44 EDT
- From: mcmullen@PHANTOM.COM(John F. McMullen)
- Subject: File 11--Special Issue on Electronic Communication and Sociology
-
- Special Issue on Electronic Communication and Sociology
-
- The American Sociologist invites submissions for a special issue
- to be titled "Electronic Communication and Sociology." Papers
- should deal with issues surrounding electronic communication and
- its implications for sociology--both good and bad. Electronic
- communication is broadly conceived both technologically and
- socially. It includes Email, local area networks, modems, faxes,
- wireless communications, BITNET, the INTERNET, multimedia,
- commercial networks and services such as Prodigy and CompuServe,
- telecommuting, distance learning, research collaboration at a
- distance, sociological studies of electronic communication,
- using electronic communication to access scholarly resources
- and datasets, electronic journals, reader lists, bulletin boards,
- remote access to computers and resources, cyberspace, on-line
- conferencing, fax-on-demand, and telephony.
-
- Topics might include but are not limited to the following:
-
- - Implications of electronic communication for distance learning,
- extension, and outreach
- - How BITNET and the INTERNET are changing research in sociology
- - How sociological practice is changing due to electronic communication
- - Research opportunities afforded by electronic communication
- - Integrating electronic communication & multimedia into the sociology
- curriculum
- - How will electronic communication change social life?
- - Using local area networks to collect data and conduct social
- psychological experiments
- - Electronic communications as a data source for sociological research
- - Invisible colleges in the electronic age
- - Security and privacy issues in distributed data
- - Problems with electronic communication including threats to productivity
- - Weighing electronic publications and other computer-based work in
- the tenure decision
- - Resources on the INTERNET and their implications for sociological
- research and teaching
- - The role of sociologists in public policy formation regarding the
- information superhighway
- - What should the ASA and other professional associations do to take
- advantage of electronic communication in the discipline?
-
- Submit four copies of your paper, in TAS style, before March 1, 1995,
- to either special-issue coeditor:
-
- Edward Brent Edward Mirielli
- Department of Sociology Idea Works, Inc.
- University of Missouri 607 Jackson Street
- Columbia, MO 65211 Columbia, MO 65203
- SOCBRENT@MIZZOU1 RUSOEDM@MIZZOU1
- FAX: (314) 875-5812 FAX: (314) 875-5812
- Voice: (314) 882-9172 Voice: (314) 875-5827
-
- ------------------------------
-
- End of Computer Underground Digest #6.45
- ************************************
-
-
-