"60 Minutes" and Web Site Evaluations

[Thomas Dowling]

> Hello:
> 
> Yes, I saw most of it, and there were several things that I was appalled
> at:
> 
> 1- Why were they showing how easy it was to "spoof" someone else? There
> are enough problems with it without the "this is how you do it" being
> shown on National tv.
> 
> 2- Then they talk and show how to route through another mail server.
Thank
> you very much. I'm sure there are other computer security people out
there
> that are pretty ticked with the show.

If there are any computer security people out there running open SMTP
servers and hoping no one will figure out how to abuse them, they've got
more serious problems than worrying about what 60 Minutes is showing.  From
the Internet Worm to SATAN, publicizing security holes has proven to be the
fastest way to get them sealed.  Just think how many people on this list,
who should have been disabling Netscape's config menus months or years ago,
have started investigating how to do it in the last 24 hours.

> 4- I missed the beginning where they introduced the "expert". Who was he?
> But I noticed that he was never introduced again. Nor were his
credentials
> ever mentioned again.
> 

I'm not clear why this appalled you--isn't this standard practice for 60
Minutes?  He was Andrew Kantor, senior editor of Internet World.

Thomas Dowling
Ohio Library and Information Network
tdowling at ohiolink.edu