Re: `Hack Microsoft' challenge is NYT Computer News Daily's top story

>Date:	Mon, 02 Oct 1995 10:34:32 -0400
>From:	Rick Busdiecker <rfb@lehman.com>
>Sender:	owner-cypherpunks@toad.com
>To:	cypherpunks@toad.com
>bcc:	Lehman Brothers Inc.
>Subject:	`Hack Microsoft' challenge is NYT Computer News
> Daily's top story
>
>See http://nytsyn.com/live/Lead/275_100295_074418_19095.html
>
>  MICROSOFT BECOMES NEW TARGET OF HACKING CHALLENGE (10/2) 
>
>  By HEATHER GREEN c.1995 Bloomberg Business News 
>
>  BERKELEY, Calif. -- Microsoft Corp. has been chosen as a
> new target
>  for computer hackers.
>
>  Community Connexion, an Internet service provider that
> last week
>  promised a free T-shirt to anyone who found a flaw in
> Netscape
>  Communications Corp.'s software, extended the challenge
> Friday to
>  include holes in Microsoft products.
>
>  . . .
>

I don't know about everyone else, but a T-shirt seems a very 
small reward for uncovering a "hole" in the encryption 
algorithm of Microsoft products.  Does that apply to any and 
all bugs?? i.e. not necessarily security problems??

MIGUEL DIAZ writes:
> I don't know about everyone else, but a T-shirt seems a very 
> small reward for uncovering a "hole" in the encryption 
> algorithm of Microsoft products.  

I don't know about anyone else, but helping to protect the confidential data 
of millions of users around the world seems a very large reward for
uncovering a hole in the encryption algorithms of M$ products.

Clearly, YMMV.

-Futplex <futplex@pseudonym.com>

>> I don't know about everyone else, but a T-shirt seems a very 
>> small reward for uncovering a "hole" in the encryption 
>> algorithm of Microsoft products.  
>
>I don't know about anyone else, but helping to protect the confidential data 
>of millions of users around the world seems a very large reward for
>uncovering a hole in the encryption algorithms of M$ products.

My reward would be the satisfaction of showing M$ code to be the substandard,
elitist, money grubbing and dictatorial junk it is. The size of their payroll
should not be the reason they want to be able to dictate what programs Joe
Deskset runs on the internet.

I can see the progression where their CC transportation software is coupled
with a Registration Wizard to automatically purchase any software on your HD
that they have no record of you purchasing... "just in case and as a service
on your behalf".

Mark
The above opinions are rumoured to be my own.