Awatmath.1589
net.lan
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!watmath!atbowler
Mon Jan 25 22:50:52 1982
Sytek XYZZY command
     I don't can't really agree that something like the XYZZY command
should not be mentioned in public (i.e. posted to net.lan).  Especially
at a computer science school we should be aware that you can't depend
on public ignorance for security.  Even before the note in net.lan it
was known that there was some command that began with an X and it would
only have been a while before somebody stumbled over it.  At least now
we know that it is there.
        Rather this incident should be a reminder why products should not
be distributed with such undocumented "features".  If the XYZZY which
is supposedly a test facility presumably for the developers had not
been present in equipment in the field there would have been no problem.
Alternately, if the command had of been documented, we would have
known to disable the command as part of normal setup of new T-BOXes.
Also it would be a good idea if at least XYZZY was one of the commands
that was normally disabled after a full (double) reset was performed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen <[email protected]>
of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/


This Usenet Oldnews Archive
article may be copied and distributed freely, provided:

1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles.

2. The following notice remains appended to each copy:

The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996
Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.

You are viewing proxied material from gopher.quux.org. The copyright of proxied material belongs to its original authors. Any comments or complaints in relation to proxied material should be directed to the original authors of the content concerned. Please see the disclaimer for more details.