NT applications aboard the Yorktown run the ship's control center on the bridge, monitor the engines, and provide damage control and navigation support. Thanks to David Mankins for pointing out this story and to Jon Cox for the Kirch cite. Thanks for the story on the USS Yorktown. Unfortunately, this is only one problem. The programmer who developed Back Orifice, who goes by the moniker Sir Dystic, claims to have written a 120K server that attaches to any executable, starts up with the machine, runs undetectably, and renders the machine remotely manageable by an encrypted command stream.
Control is claimed over the file system, registry, process list, password store, and more.
BO is said to include a built-in HTTP server so that you can peruse directories and download files using any browser. You can set which port it listens on, handy for penetrating firewalls. About the only way you'd know a machine on your network had had a Back Orifice inserted would be to catch some undecipherable traffic going by on an unexpected port. Clearly such a utility has legitimate uses, but they are not why it will become widely known. Thanks to Tim Byars for the news on Back Orifice.