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Date:      Wed, 05 Feb 1997 15:36:21 -0800
From:      Craig Shaver <craig@progroup.com>
To:        "Jordan K. Hubbard" <jkh@time.cdrom.com>
Cc:        current@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Karl fulminates, film at 11. == thanks
Message-ID:  <32F91975.59E2B600@progroup.com>
References:  <23444.855180857@time.cdrom.com>

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Jordan K. Hubbard wrote:
> 
> > Just wanted to drop you a note to thank you for kicking the freebsd core
> > team in the butt for security concerns.  I am not sure your suggestions
> 
> Oh dear, yet another person who seems to think that the best way of
> getting someone to do you a favor is to force burning splinters under
> their fingernails.

You are right, and I am sorry for the harsh wording.  


> 
> Nobody is ignoring anything here, and no one on the core team fails to
> take security seriously.  We were given very *little* opportunity to
> respond on this one, and despite what others have claimed, there was
> no long-term awareness of this problem or conspiracy of silence.

Ok, good ...

> 
> > I have to admit, when I saw that crt.o had a security hole I was ready
> > to dump freebsd and head straight for the nearest linux cd.  I imagine
> 
> I have been chastised in the past for saying "fine, go!" so I will not
> take that tack here, but I will say that heading straight for the
> nearest linux CD is also hardly likely to save you and you're more
> than welcome to try it if you feel otherwise.

You are quite right, and I should have put a :) at the end of that
sentence.  I have tried Linux in the past and been displeased with
the bugs I found in standard libs and utilities.  I have also had
problems with the x86 version of Solaris 2.4.  I switched my own
server from Solaris to FreeBSD for more stability.  I don't really
want to switch to Linux now.  

> 
> The people here are working very hard and they are NOT paid for all
> the extra hassle that this kind of security scare engenders (most are
> not paid to deal with ANY FreeBSD related hassles).  To heap abuse and
> scorn on them for something they have given you for free strikes me as
> both ungrateful and petty, and I hope to see a lot less of it in the
> future or what joy I and others continue to derive from this project
> will evaporate and you and others will have killed the golden goose
> for its failure to lay eggs fast enough to your liking.
> 
>                                         Jordan

Sorry.  I will try to think before posting in the future.

I would like to help with some of this if possible.  I could put in a
few hours to go through some of the code.  I think I understand what
the problems are regarding buffer overflows.  However, like many 
people I have no idea of where to start, who is doing what, or who to
talk to.  I did not find anything on the www site that would explain
how to contribute time.  And the mail I have seen regarding this has
been pretty vague.  I certainly wouldn't want to waste my time with
something that is already being worked on, or is not needed.    

-- 
Craig Shaver  (craig@progroup.com) (415)390-0654 
Productivity Group POB 60458 Sunnyvale, CA  94088



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