From: megazone@wpi.WPI.EDU (MegaZone23)
Newsgroups: alt.personals
Subject: Security (was Re: I'll tell you why there aren't any women here)
Date: 16 Aug 92 19:45:44 GMT
Organization: WPI USAF -- United Society of Animation Fans

In article <1992Aug14.084948.8225@news.acns.nwu.edu> query@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Samuel Green) writes:
>later, gotten a harrassing phone call.  The caller mentioned a few things

This has happened to a net.friend of mine too..

>	1) My real name from the "finger" command, the one with the plan
>file.
>	2) My home city from "finger"

Heh. Hell, I've got both my NY and MA phone numbers in my finger, ANYONE can
get them. I really don't care. Come to think of it, I have gotten strange 
calls, but never definately connested to the net. I just don't care actually...
Plus I have my office as Howe St., which isn't my official address, but most
people I know just KNOW what the Howe St. apt is....

>track down my number and call me.  I am the only person in the phone book
>with my full name, so it was pretty simple. 

Can I ask what kind of post got this determined a response? Sounds like you 
really like someone's fuse. (BTW, I normally don't read a.p anymore, but I'm
bored and putting off work...So email please..)

>ideas I had about the nets supposed anonynimity.  I thought that no one
>could get my real name, or, that id they could, they would have no easy way

Well, you should have realised that anything in your finger file is game for
most anyone, and your Organization line can give away locations too, for some
people...

>	Anyway...  I think that the women and men who get harrassed should
>*definately* take any appropriate measures to catch the harrassers.

Harrassing phone calls: contact police. Harrassing email: Contact their sysop.
Of course forging email is far too easy, so you may need your sysops help
there. (Many times even well forged email can be traced if you have the
privleges, and those who know how to do it perfect usually don't bother in the
first place)

>Ignoring a problem will *not* solve it.  As an example:  Remember when you

Well, the various times I've gotten weird calls I usually just start talking
to the person on the other end. Never seems to last long. But I'm sorta insane.

>	1) Change your phone number, and get it made unlisted.  This will

This I would only do if you are already getting calls. Plus check and make
sure your finger file doesn't have your number in it, if you don't want it
there.

>	2) Change the information given out in your .plan or the local ph
>Change the 'real name' if necessary, and if your sysadmin allows.

Depends on your site. We don't even have .plans unless you make one. Check
your finger info (usually command chfn). We CAN change our realnames, but it
isn't permitted. For a while I had mine as MegaZone, until my sysop busted me.
But he does allow you to change say Brian Bikowicz to B Bikowicz, which, for a
name like that doesn't help much but if you have a common last name it can.

Plus think about commands like whitepages, on my system I can run that on 
anyone here and get their name, phone, major, advisor, ADDRESS (which for me
is a WPI box number for now), HOME ADDRESS (ie in NY, street and all), and
year of grad. Isn't the information age wonderful? And it can run on other
schools too.... Something to think about...

>	3) Be careful about what you post.  Try to make sure that nothing

Well, use common sense. But you shouldn't have to live in fear that what you
post will haunt you forever.

>	4) Use anonymous posts as often as possible, and *never* give out

That really only works on personals lists, anon-posts aren't available and
besides. That is letting them win. If you have to hide all the time they've
succeeded in making you fear the nets. I am on several groups, I post to many
and lurk on more. Would you have someone confine them selves just because they
can post anonymously?

>	And, I am sure that I will get some harrassment from some 'clever'
>child about this, they showing me that I can be tracked (rather easily,

This isn't harrassment, I'm just pointing out somethings for those who really
are worried. There are many many ways to get to someone, and in the information
age it is all that much easier. Plus most systems have junk for security to
start with. It really is unfortunate that some people abuse power in all forms,
the power of information is one of the easiest.

Cheers,
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Newsgroups: alt.personals,alt.sex