From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: dave@horsfall.org (Dave Horsfall) Date: Sat, 8 Apr 2017 05:56:57 +1000 (EST) Subject: [TUHS] Non-US Unix Activities In-Reply-To: References: <20170405222255.GA4109@minnie.tuhs.org> <20170406200839.GA30805@naleco.com> <20170406230910.GB30625@minnie.tuhs.org> Message-ID: On Fri, 7 Apr 2017, Dave Horsfall wrote: > The problem is that some of them are still alive :-) Oh, OK; I'll leave out the names... This is the story of the Great Root Password Disaster. Way back at UNSW (University of New South Wales for the Aussie-bereft), the major Unix players decided to use a common root password (yes, really!) so that they could access each others' systems. I was working for the CSU (Computing Services Unit for the UNSW-bereft) and I thought it was a stupid idea, and refused to join. Well, the obvious happened... The password must've been leaked (as passwords do) because every box got hacked, except mine. Naturally, I got blamed for it; here's a chrome-plated hint: never blame me for something that I did not do... And I still don't know what their shared root password was. More stories as I dredge them up from my addled memory. -- Dave Horsfall DTM (VK2KFU) "Those who don't understand security will suffer."