security mail list

[Lyle McElhaney]

State of the list: Security mail list about to start.

Around the first of December I proposed a mail list to exchange wizdom and
folklore about the art of keeping secure UNIX systems.  The results have
been somewhat gratifying.  So far, about 120 wizards (and one or two of
the fairer variety) have asked to join the list.

The discussion concerning how much security the list itself should
maintain has been, likewise, interesting.  With few exceptions, most the
the respondents have opted for no formal security of the list contents
themselves (ie, no encryption of the mail).  The only unique feature of
this list is that I am requesting verification of each requestor from the
root user of his machine, or the upstream feed if I can't identify the
machine itself.  This, of course, is not in itself foolproof, but it has
seemed to work.  Additionally, I will be sending out a membership list
with the first mailing (some time this weekend).

I posted (in net.news.sa, highly recommended as regular fare for system
admins) a list of those systems through which mail would be spreading from
this site to the list requestors, along with an admonition that if any sa
felt threatened with this mail passing through the site he was to let me
know.  As of this point, I have received no complaints.  I take it that
everyone feels that their uucp files are secure, or just plain don't care
(or don't read net.news.sa).  In any case, s'be't.

If anyone who wanted on the list has not heard from me, pull my chain
again.  We have had some problems with some of our uucp links; I think
everything is now back in order.

Membership, administrativia: ...(hao, ihnp4, allegra, csu-cs, nbires, brl-bmd)
					!denelcor!sec-request
material for the list proper: ...denelcor!security
flames (sorted by weight after combustion is complete):  ...denelcor!lmc

Lyle McElhaney