Olympus-OM
[Top] [All Lists]

[OT] Spam, security, and the web (was Re: [OM] Your favourite camera)

Subject: [OT] Spam, security, and the web (was Re: [OM] Your favourite camera)
From: Jan Steinman <jans@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 10:05:57 -0700
>From: "John Hudson" <jahudson@xxxxxxxxx>

>From: Jan Steinman <jans@xxxxxxxxxxx>

>>>From: "gary edwards" <maitani@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>>
>>>... maybe I'm cynical, but what a great way to build a big mailing list
>>>for photographic spam at little or no cost.
>>
>>The only information a web site gets from you is your IP address...
...
>I have set Netscape to warn me every time a server wants to set a cookie
>after which I reject all requests to set cookies...

Cookies are overrated as a security risk. The only thing someone can put in
a cookie is something they already know -- they cannot obtain new
information by saving a cookie on your machine. It's simply a way of making
the client (your browser) have "state" so the server can act like it
remembers you.

Cookies are MUCH less insidious than the ftp technique I mentioned, where
they actually try to trick some additional information out of you!

>>... if you have your browser configured to send your email address
>>as the password for anonymous ftp (a common practice, born in friendlier
>>times before spam), they can suck your address out by doing a re-direct to
>>a dummy ftp protocol URL.

But the worst security risks are client-side execution, such as Java and
especially ActiveX. "They" would like you to believe such things are safe,
but new holes are discovered just as fast as they can patch the old ones.

Requisite Oly content: I once was a client in a restaurant where a server
tried to store a cookie in my OM-2. I'm still brushing the crumbs out of
the viewfinder...

: Jan Steinman <mailto:jans@xxxxxxxxxxx>
: 19280 Rydman Court, West Linn, OR 97068-1331 USA
: +1.503.635.3229

< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
  • [OT] Spam, security, and the web (was Re: [OM] Your favourite camera), Jan Steinman <=
Sponsored by Tako
Impressum | Datenschutz