Security Basics mailing list archives
RE: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer
From: Kelly Martin <kel () securityfocus com>
Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2003 08:13:06 -0600 (MDT)
I receive posts to the list on a daily basis that appear to be questions on how to circumvent security. Those that are so obvious are rejected outright with standard explanation, and in some cases people respond by rephrasing their question, indicating the legitimate purpose of such a request, and then I approve it. That's the process. While I am absolutely security paranoid myself, I'm not going to pry into the lives of anyone on this list, nor am I going to go more than just one step beyond the obvious implications of a simple question. The answers are out there anyway -- whether you find them on the web or Usenet (remember newsgroups?) or on this list. The knowledge can be used for good or bad either way, and many people here have the ability to do either quite effectively (yet in the vast majority of cases, are *still* not black hats). There needs to be a certain amount of leeway in this area, considering the very nature of security discussions. -- Kelly Martin <kel () securityfocus com> Moderator, Security-Basics On Wed, 11 Jun 2003, Tim Laureska wrote:
Curt is absolutely right... I was amazed at how quickly people responded with various mechanisms to do what was originally asked... I would hope that the new Security Basics List administrator might pick up on this potential social engineering ... For all we know this could be some 13 year old kid trying to get into a friend's A/C (no offence meant to the original author).... paranoia is definitely part of the game! I finish with a question ....Is this an appropriate question for this list? -----Original Message----- From: Curt Seeliger [mailto:seeliger.curt () epa gov] Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2003 7:53 PM To: security-basics () securityfocus com Subject: Re: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer There's been a variety of helpful responses to the original request now. There are good reasons for doing what he wants to do, but (and I'm in no way impuning the original poster by asking this) there are some crummy reasons as well. How do any of you know this isn't part of a stalking, or background info for more social engineering, or yada? Near as I know, you don't. Sure, this is worst case scenario, but isn't paranoia part of the game?
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Current thread:
- How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer Potter, Tim (Jun 11)
- RE: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer dave (Jun 11)
- RE: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer Keith A. Glass (Jun 11)
- Re: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer Curt Seeliger (Jun 11)
- RE: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer Tim Laureska (Jun 12)
- RE: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer Kelly Martin (Jun 12)
- RE: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer M. Lucas (Jun 13)
- RE: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer Kelly Martin (Jun 13)
- Re: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer Callan K L Tham (Jun 12)
- RE: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer dave (Jun 11)
- Re: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer Ansgar Wiechers (Jun 12)
- Re: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer Fred W. Noltie Jr. (Jun 12)
- Re: How to obtain a yahoo username off a computer Jamie Pratt (Jun 12)