Date:         Sat, 4 Feb 1995 08:28:02 -0600
From: BITNET list server at UA1VM (1.8a) <LISTSERV@UA1VM.UA.EDU>
Subject:      File: "MAP10 LESSON"

MAP10: INTERNET SECURITY


     "Cyberspace, in its present condition, has a lot in common
      with the 19th Century West. It is vast, unmapped, culturally
      and legally ambiguous, verbally terse (unless you happen to
      be a court stenographer), hard to get around in, and up for
      grabs. Large institutions already claim to own the place,
      but most of the actual natives are solitary and independent,
      sometimes to the point of sociopathy. It is, of course, a
      perfect breeding ground for both outlaws and new ideas about
      liberty." -- John Perry Barlow, Crime and Puzzlement


I would love to tell you that the Internet is a safe place and that
there is no reason for you to protect your password. Unfortunately,
there are a LOT of people out there who would LOVE to break into
your account and "use your account as a base for operations (1)."

How prevalent is this? According to Mike Godwin, Chief Legal Counsel
for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, it's "fairly common." (1)

The main defense against people who want to break into your account --
a.k.a. "crackers" -- is your password. Keep your password secure, and
you should never have anything to worry about. Give your password to
others, or write your password down and put it near your computer,
and ... well, you get the picture.

There are some KEY points you need to remember to protect yourself and
your account:

     - NEVER give your password to *ANYONE* (1). The whole purpose
       of having a password in the first place is to ensure that
       *NO ONE* other than you can use your account.

     - NEVER write your password down, and especially never write
       your password anywhere near your computer.

     - NEVER let anyone look over your shoulder while you enter
       your password. "Shoulder Surfing" is the most common way
       that accounts are hacked.

     - NEVER e-mail your password to anyone.

     - DO change your password on a regular basis (1). There is no better
       way to thwart a would-be cracker than to change your password
       as often as possible. Your local Internet service provider will
       be able to tell you your system's recommendation on how often
       you should change your password, but a good rule of thumb is
       to change it at least every three months.

     - DON'T pick a password that is found in the dictionary (1). When
       you set your password, it is encrypted and stored into a file.
       It is really easy for a "cracker" to find your password by
       encrypting every word in the dictionary, and then looking
       for a match between the words in his encrypted dictionary
       and your encrypted password. If he finds a match, he has your
       password and can start using your account at will.

     - DON'T use passwords that are foreign words. The hacker can
       get a foreign dictionary, and ...

     - NEVER use your userid as your password. This is the easiest
       password to crack.

     - DON'T choose a password that relates to you personally (2)
       or that can easily be tied to you. Some good examples of BAD
       passwords are: your name, your relatives' names, nicknames,
       birthdates, license plate numbers, social security numbers (US),
       work ID numbers, and telephone numbers.

     - DO use a password that is at least eight characters long and
       that has a mix of letters and numbers. The minimum length of
       a password should be four to six characters long.

     - NEVER use the same password on other systems or accounts.

     - ALWAYS be especially careful when you telnet or rlogin to
       access another computer over the Net. When you telnet or
       rlogin, your system sends your password in plain text
       over the Net. Some crackers have planted programs
       on Internet gateways for the purpose of finding and stealing
       these passwords. If you have to telnet frequently, change
       your password just as frequently. If you only telnet
       occasionally, say, for business trips, set up a new
       password (or even a new account) just for the trip. When
       you return, change that password (or close out that account).

The best passwords -- the ones that are the easiest for you to
remember, and the ones that are the hardest for crackers to crack --
are passwords that are like those fake words you used to create when
you would cram for a test. For example, to remember that "the Law
of Demand is the inverse relationship between price and quantity
demanded," I created the word TLODITIRBP&QD. NO ONE could hack that
as a password. Best of all, its EASY to remember (well, its easy
for an economist to remember).

Here are a couple of other good passwords:

   Sentence                                Possible password

   In 1976 I moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma      I76IMTTO
   The conference lost 12,000 dollars      TCL12KD
   U of A Crimson Tide Football is #1      UACTFI#1

Sentences are EASY to remember, and they make passwords that are nearly
impossible to break (and please do NOT use these sample passwords as
your own).

Do NOT use well known abbreviations (for example: wysiwyg), and
do NOT use keyboard patterns (for example: qwerty) as your password.

If you notice weird things happening with your account:

     1. Change your password IMMEDIATELY!
     2. Tell your local Internet service provider about it.

It is very common for someone whose account has been hacked to
dismiss the signs that the account has been hacked as technical
problems with the system. However, when one account is hacked,
it very often puts the whole system at risk.

Finally, there is one last thing that I want to say before I close:
I feel that "hacking" and "cracking" so violates the spirit of the
Internet that I will do everything in my power to help put the
overgrown babies who engage in such activities where they belong --
behind bars. Until that time comes, however, I'm going to change
my password as often as possible.

HOMEWORK

     Contact your local Internet service provider, find out how you
     can change your password, and CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD!!

SOURCES:

(1) from a telephone interview with Mike Godwin, Chief Legal Counsel
    for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

(2) comments from the Computer Law Association, as quoted in
    Bottom Line Personal 6/1/94 p.8 (in Edupage 5.22.92)

(3) quoted from Edupage 06.09.94 (from a story in the Tampa Tribune
    6/8/94 Baylife 5)


   PATRICK DOUGLAS CRISPEN    THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS LETTER DO NOT
    PCRISPE1@UA1VM.UA.EDU      NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE VIEWS OF THE
  THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA      UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA - TUSCALOOSA

      ROADMAP: COPYRIGHT PATRICK CRISPEN 1994. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

