On Wed, 4 Oct 2000, Jeffry Smith wrote:
> OK, what will help in convincing the administration that ANY system
> connected to the outside world can be used to crack? It's unfortunate
> that this happened, and I realize their reaction is to try and prevent
> future problems, but the reality is that the crackers will now use
> other available computers.
I suspect the issue here is that the system in question probably was
managed by reletively inexperienced system administrators who were not
under the umbrella of the University IT department. I might suggest
petitioning the staff (figuritively or litterally) to provide the students
with such a box, which they "oversee" so that there's some accountability.
Might work, might not. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
> My concern here is not to get a Linux box in (much as I would like
> it), but to ensure the Keene State admininstration understands that
> it's not technology, it's attitude, that creates crackers, and that
> their actions have done NOTHING to protect themselves, merely created
> an illusion of security. In the long run, it will bite them bigtime
> when one of these incidents happens using a "secure" machine (and I
> mean when, not if - even if they booted the crackers out, there will
> be others). Even worse, unless they take a proactive attitude (which
> is not retribution, but education and understanding), they will
> themselves get cracked, most likely from the inside. This is a
> reality based on real-world statistics - most computer breakins /
> crimes happen from the inside, not the outside.
Jeff, this is a most excellent point. Perhaps we could write the
University to explain this situation. MarthaJo, if you could provide us
with some contact info...
--
Derek Martin
Senior System Administrator
Mission Critical Linux
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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