How secure is UNIX?

[Dan KoGai]

In article <36584 at ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> lauther at janus.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Ulrich Lauther) writes:
>In article <6368 at amelia.nas.nasa.gov> samlb at pioneer.arc.nasa.gov.UUCP (Sam Bassett RCS) writes:
>>
>>	I agree -- the documentation should be more straightforward about
>>the dangers of the .netrc, and for d**n sure, whoever is teaching kids
>
>I just wonder why not the same technique is used with .netrc as with
>/etc/passwd: have the file readable, but sensitive parts encrypted?

	I don't think so:  I don't think /etc/passwd was a good idea:  It's
encrypted.  So what?  That means you can take time to feed random string to
encryptor, which is available, then find the matching string.  Maybe you can
feed it from dict file--people's name makes big candidate for considerably many
people choose their password from thier (boy|girl)friends' or spouses' names.
What I don't understand is that my password is not a kind of string found on
dict but it's still feasible to use "power" rather than "tech" to break
secirity in UNIX.
	I admit my .netrc was not a good idea.  But still I think it's possible
for that moron to kill at least OCF account:  Some others suggested that
some of UNIX has a serious problem in user switching.  One of my friends
witnessed that he was accidentally su'd to somebody else.
	At very least finger info and passwd file must be saparated.
If possible, it might be a good idea to hard-code secirity part of UNIX, that
is, implement seciryty by hardware than software.  On current system encrypted
or not, precious password info is visible.  How about ATM card way (I don't 
think it's valid idea--How about dialin?)--No one but card knows your password.
there remains the problem in case of loss of cards or "keys" but it's at
very least far more secure than current UNIX implementation of password.

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