Subject: Re: Eliminating Virus Spam

From: Vernon Schryver <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 4 Jan 2001 09:40:41 -0700 (MST)

> From: Jon Crowcroft <[email-masked]>

> i'd prefer to see us develop a more 21st century solution 
>
> first, we should register mime types that we DO allow on a list
>
> second, if someone must send an executable attachment , then we have a
> signing server that signs the attachment as trustworthy - most of the
> stupid atachments come from places who wouldnt be part of my trust
> chain.....

It would be more of a 21st century something to have the IETF join
Microsoft in equating authentication (e.g. signing) with authorization
(e.g. who gets to run programs on your computers).  However, "solution"
is not the best word for what it would be.

In other words, please consider how little you would need to adapt
http://www.cert.org/reports/activeX_report.pdf if you did such a thing.

In still other words, do you really think that I should automatically
be part of your trust chain?

Vernon Schryver    [email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 05 Jan 2001 01:59:36 -0500

> is not the best word for what it would be.

Authentication: "Yes, your driver's license, fingerprint, retina, and
voice scans all agree you are the *real* Jeffrey Dahmer."

Authorization: "Would you like to borrow a steak knife, Mr Dahmer?"

Amazingly enough, we tolerate that same exact logical disconnect from
a major vendor of system software.  Unfortunately, between the even-worse
than current shrink-wrap licensing included in UCITA, and the incoming
presidential administration, it may take a really creative lawyer making
a case of it being a "crime against humanity" and trying the case at
The Hague to fix it... ;(

				Valdis Kletnieks
				Operating Systems Analyst
				Virginia Tech