If the intruder can compromise the system, he or she will be able to attack other systems, by taking over either root, and hence the systemÕs identity, or some user account. It might seem that we are unduly pessimistic about the state of computer security. This is half-true: we are pessimistic, but not, we think, unduly so. Nothing in the recent history of either network security or software engineering gives us any reason to believe otherwise. Nor are we alone in feeling this way.
Predictor: Bellovin, Steven M.
Prediction, in context:In their 1994 book “Firewalls and Internet Security,” Steven Bellovin and William Cheswick write: ”By definition, networked machines are not isolated. Typically, other machines will trust them in some fashion. It might be the almost-blind faith of rlogin, or it might be the sophisticated cryptographic verification used by the Kerberos authentication system, in which case a particular user will be trusted. It doesnÕt matter – if the intruder can compromise the system, he or she will be able to attack other systems, by taking over either root, and hence the systemÕs identity, or some user account. It might seem that we are unduly pessimistic about the state of computer security. This is half-true: we are pessimistic, but not, we think, unduly so. Nothing in the recent history of either network security or software engineering gives us any reason to believe otherwise. Nor are we alone in feeling this way.”
Date of prediction: January 1, 1994
Topic of prediction: Communication
Subtopic: Security/Encryption
Name of publication: Firewalls and Internet Security
Title, headline, chapter name: Introduction
Quote Type: Direct quote
Page number or URL of document at time of study:
http://www.wilyhacker.com/1e/
This data was logged into the Elon/Pew Predictions Database by: Anderson, Janna Quitney