Re: Another request for passwords

[chowes () helix net (Charles Howes)]

On Sun, 23 Oct 1994, Paul Robinson wrote:

> On Sun, 23 Oct 1994, Charles Howes wrote:
>
> > Argh.  This is the third mailbomb.  I'm supposed to be in charge of
> > security; how do you protect against this??!?
> >
> > We're using shadow passwords as of tonight, and tcp wrappers as of
> > last month.  The bugger keeps signing on via modem, and this is a
> > problem.  We can't afford callerid.
>  
> You shouldn't have to spend money on caller id when there is someone 
> known to be breaking into your system.  Ask the phone company to put 
> trap and trace on your system and that you will unconditionally agree to 
> prosecute whoever they catch doing this.  You should not have to pay 
> *anything* to get them to find the party committing harassment and 
> possibly other crimes.
>
> If you are in Canada the rules might be different and they might be 
> allowed to charge you, but a big stink about it and a strong letter to 
> the CRTC and local newspapers might change their mind.

The phone company *did* put a trace on our line a while ago, but it
wasn't successful because it requires two calls; the first to
establish the prefix, at which point they set up a trace in that
prefix.  The records come in the day after the event.  Thus, it takes
two bad phonecalls separated by at least a day to trace the offender.

Caller id makes things a lot easier.
--
Charles Howes -- chowes () helix net
 Always tell the truth, then you make it the other bloke's problem! 
 - Sean Connery, 1971