1999-07-26-16:59:41 Paul D. Robertson:
> If it had been a hospital's internal network and I'd done the scan at a
> time where a doctor needed access to a patient's last CAT scan detail over
> a network, it could have been catestrophic. US case law varies between
> liability for manufacturers, implementors and initiators, but in almost all
> cases the initiator of the problem is held liable.
Could well be. Suppose the switch in question had simply been positioned out
on the curb, perhaps under an awning to keep the rain off --- and someone
tripped over the plug. That would certainly be a case where you'd have trouble
holding the initiator liable for consequences to patient health.
Seems to me, if you can fling strange (at a low protocol level) packets at a
router that's critical for patient care, the person who designed that network
oughta be sued for a good bit. I'd enjoy serving as expert witness for the
persecution in such a suit.
I'd regard using a packet filter, even a "stateful" one, as the protection
between the internet and a patient care system right on par with setting up
the routers for the system out by the sidewalk.
-Bennett
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