Computer underground Digest    Wed  Mar 2, 1994   Volume 6 : Issue 20
                           ISSN  1004-042X

       Editors: Jim Thomas and Gordon Meyer (TK0JUT2@NIU.BITNET)
       Archivist: Brendan Kehoe (He's lurking in the archives now)
       Acting Archivist: Stanton McCandlish
       Shadow-Archivists: Dan Carosone / Paul Southworth
                          Ralph Sims / Jyrki Kuoppala
                          Ian Dickinson
       Clipper Editor:    Hank O'Haira

CONTENTS, #6.20 (Mar 2, 1994)
File 1--Re: File 5--Criticism of CuD post on Virus Contest
File 2--Response to Canadian Regulation of BBS (Re CuD 6.18)
File 3--Re: "Entrapment Scam" (CuD 6.19)
File 4--Computer Science "Security" Seminar??
File 5--Cyberspace against repression: some suggestions
File 6--Encryption and Law Enforcement (by Dorothy Denning)

Cu-Digest is a weekly electronic journal/newsletter. Subscriptions are
available at no cost electronically.
To subscribe, send a one-line message:  SUB CUDIGEST  your name
Send it to LISTSERV@UIUCVMD.BITNET or LISTSERV@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU
The editors may be contacted by voice (815-753-0303), fax (815-753-6302)
or U.S. mail at:  Jim Thomas, Department of Sociology, NIU, DeKalb, IL
60115.

Issues of CuD can also be found in the Usenet comp.society.cu-digest
news group; on CompuServe in DL0 and DL4 of the IBMBBS SIG, DL1 of
LAWSIG, and DL1 of TELECOM; on GEnie in the PF*NPC RT
libraries and in the VIRUS/SECURITY library; from America Online in
the PC Telecom forum under "computing newsletters;"
On Delphi in the General Discussion database of the Internet SIG;
on RIPCO BBS (312) 528-5020 (and via Ripco on  internet);
and on Rune Stone BBS (IIRGWHQ) (203) 832-8441.
CuD is also available via Fidonet File Request from
1:11/70; unlisted nodes and points welcome.

  UNITED STATES:  etext.archive.umich.edu (141.211.164.18)  in /pub/CuD/
                   [etext.archive.umich.edu
                  aql.gatech.edu (128.61.10.53) in /pub/eff/cud/
  EUROPE:         nic.funet.fi in pub/doc/cud/ (Finland)
                   [nic.funet.fi does NOT have phrack either]
                  ftp.warwick.ac.uk in pub/cud/ (United Kingdom)


COMPUTER UNDERGROUND DIGEST is an open forum dedicated to sharing
information among computerists and to the presentation and debate of
diverse views.  CuD material may  be reprinted for non-profit as long
as the source is cited. Authors hold a presumptive copyright, and
they should be contacted for reprint permission.  It is assumed that
non-personal mail to the moderators may be reprinted unless otherwise
specified.  Readers are encouraged to submit reasoned articles
relating to computer culture and communication.  Articles are
preferred to short responses.  Please avoid quoting previous posts
unless absolutely necessary.

DISCLAIMER: The views represented herein do not necessarily represent
            the views of the moderators. Digest contributors assume all
            responsibility for ensuring that articles submitted do not
            violate copyright protections.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 28 Feb 94 13:57:26 GMT
From: frisk@COMPLEX.IS(Fridrik Skulason)
Subject: File 1--Re: File 5--Criticism of CuD post on Virus Contest

A poster in CuD #6.19 wrote:

>I even created a virus or two in my years of computing, but never with
>the purpose of trying to harm another user's system!  I create them only
>for testing purposes, and when I find one that fails a scanned test, I
>forward it to the company that created the anti-virus software.

Do you really think you are doing anybody a favour by doing that ?
Anti-virus companies already receive on the average 7 new viruses per
day right now...we really don't need any more.

>My main concern on this issue is will this company (American Eagle)
>forward all the viruses to all the possible anti-virus companies?  If
>they don't then this is considered an illegal activity.

No. Whether the viruses are sent-to anti-virus companies or not does not
matter, with respect with respect to legality... the questions to consider are:

   1) is virus-writing illegal ?

   2) is encouraging virus-writing illegal ?

   3) does submitting a virus to a "competition" make the author liable
      if the virus ever spreads "into the wild".

>**NOTE: It is ok to write a virus for your own use, but illegal if
>someone else gets your program and causes damage**

possibly, possibly not - it depends on where in the world you are, and
in the US, in which state you are in, and computer crime laws vary
significantly from one state to another.

-frisk

Fridrik Skulason      Frisk Software International     phone: +354-1-617273
Author of F-PROT      E-mail: frisk@complex.is         fax:   +354-1-617274


=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+
+                               END THIS FILE                                +
+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+===+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=