Looks like the ORBZ debate has been resolved. I hope to have those entries back in my config file soon.
-- Raju This is an RFC 1153 digest. (1 message) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: LOL -- Orbz.org. - RESOLVED Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 15:14:01 -0800 I'm reposting this from the Spam-L list. In short, the issue between Battle Creek & orbz has been resolved. . . . . This is the text of a press release issued by the City of Battle Creek just a few minutes ago - no more minutes than it took me to retype up their fax! If you have any comments on or questions about what they say, please direct those to the city, not to me: I do NOT speak for Battle Creek in any way and merely report what they have said in the interests of better understanding of the issue. Indeed, I am about to email them a few questions of my own! =========================================================================== City of Battle Creek, City Manager's Office - Media Release P O Box 1717, Battle Creek, Michigan 49016 March 21, 2002 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Michelle Reen, Assistant to the City Manager, +1 616 966 3378 (Fax +1 616 966 6654) City Settles Dispute with orbz.org BATTLE CREEK, MI - City officials have agreed not to pursue charges against Ian Gulliver, a 20-year-old systems administrator from Ghent, New York, and the administrator of orbz.org. Gulliver is an anti-spam activist that sent an email to the City and caused a major slowdown of its mail server. "Our investigation and conversations with Mr Gulliver's attorney have lead us to believe that there was no criminal intent to cause the City harm. However there was no way for us to know when we received the hit that this was not intended as a malicious prank," said Michelle Reen, Assistant to the City Manager. "Our Information Systems and Police Department took the situation seriously. The Detective had no reason not to believe he was pursuing a hacker when he issued a search warrant. The purpose of the search warrant was to determine the identity of the person who sent the email that caused our system to fail so we could then determine whether further investigation would be necessary. According to Gulliver's attorney, the email sent by Gulliver was intended to test the City server to determine whether it was vulnerable to a spam attack. Spam refers to a computer prank that causes multiple duplicate emails, sometimes several hundred at once to clog up the recipients's server. The email test triggered a weakness in the version of Lotus Domino software used by the City and caused a major slowdown of the City's email network for about a day on February 26, 2002. The weakness has been fixed and there is no reason to believe at this time that the City's server is vulnerable to illicit use for spamming. "We are satisfied that Mr Gulliver intends to provide a service by creating a blacklist of vulnerable servers. In fact we recognise that he has done us a service. We are going to be taking a close look at our policies regarding Lotus security updates and how we can avoid the issue in general." said Reen. In turn, however, we have asked him to reconsider his policy of making unannounced tests on servers. In today's computerized world it is everyone's responsibility to maintain a secure system. "But, if I can draw the analogy that just because everyone should wear a computerised bulletproof vest doesn't mean that shooting people to find out who isn't wearing one is the best answer. If Mr. Gulliver chooses to do this, he perhaps shouldn't be surprised that he will occasionally be confused with the type of individual he is fighting against. "In this case, no one was injured. We have been tipped off by Mr Gulliver and, we hope, we have also sent a message to hackers that we will pursue online activity that we feel may be maliciously intended" said Reen. <END> ----------------------- Kelly Grimm YCOM Networks / YWAVE Internet http://www.ycomnetworks.com http://www.ywave.com End of this Digest ****************** -- Raju Mathur [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://kandalaya.org/ It is the mind that moves ================================================ To subscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with subscribe in subject header To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with unsubscribe in subject header Archives are available at http://www.mail-archive.com/ilugd%40wpaa.org =================================================
