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Article #2217Re: Installing TeX at a "secure" site?
From: Michael Urban
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 21:21
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 21:21
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In article <1992Aug14.184856.9432@uwm.edu> bruno@cerberus.csd.uwm.edu writes: >There are some other security issues that are relevant. While unprivileged >software may only be able to do anything the user can do, it may do some stuff >that he wouldn't. For instance if the user has access to files that he is not >supposed to show to anyone, running PD software is a risk. In mail to the original poster, I pointed out that TeX is almost certain to be the most well documented and well understood program of its size anywhere, and that if the sysadmin is still paranoid, just buy a copy of Computers and Typesetting, the volume with the WEAVEd TeX listing, throw it on the sysadmin's desk and say, `Here...find a bug.' (does Knuth still pay for them?) Indeed, it can be argued that a PD program like TeX is far more trustworthy than some commercial binary with `if it causes damage, we are not liable' pasted on the shrinkwrap. Mike Urban urban@cobra.jpl.nasa.gov
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!olivea!decwrl!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sideshow!urban From: urban@sideshow.jpl.nasa.gov (Michael Urban) Newsgroups: comp.text.tex Subject: Re: Installing TeX at a "secure" site? Message-ID: <1992Aug14.212106.17577@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov> Date: 14 Aug 92 21:21:06 GMT References: <16gt78INNfr7@agate.berkeley.edu> <1992Aug14.184856.9432@uwm.edu> Sender: news@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov (Usenet) Reply-To: urban@sideshow.jpl.nasa.gov (Michael Urban) Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA Lines: 22 Nntp-Posting-Host: sideshow.jpl.nasa.gov