Trojan horses

[Josh Knight]

 > From: gwyn at brl-tgr.ARPA (Doug Gwyn <gwyn>)
 >
 > > > How can one be sure that there isn't some
 > > > magic code that allows one to listen in on ones neighbor - as is
 > > > well known, early releases of UNIX had just such a boobytrap carefully
 > > > hidden in the root password checking.
 > >
 > >       Oh? This sounds interesting, what was the nature of this
 > >       booby-trap? What was its intended use? Anyone know?
 >
 > Well known, eh?  Must have been in UNIX/WORLD :-)
 >
 > Maybe this is a reference to the bug that would allow one to log
 > in (as root) if precisely 100 '0's were typed for the password.
 >
Or maybe it is a reference to Ken Thompson's "Trojan horse", for which
see CACM Vol. 27, No. 8 (August 1984) pp. 761-763.

Of course, any opinions, expressed or implied are mine and not my
employers...

			Josh Knight
			IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
josh at yktvmh.BITNET,  josh.yktvmh.ibm-sj at csnet-relay.ARPA