From: Ed Carp <erc@dal1820.computek.net>
Date: Sat, 17 Feb 1996 15:05:51 +0800
To: "Rev. Ben" <samman-ben@CS.YALE.EDU>
Subject: Re: anonymous age credentials, sharing of
In-Reply-To: <Pine.A32.3.91.960216174948.14448F-100000@FROG.ZOO2.CS.YALE.EDU>
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9602170002.B3588-0100000@dal1820.computek.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On Fri, 16 Feb 1996, Rev. Ben wrote:

> Um.  With a password or keycard, its difficult to know if its been
> stolen--if the keycard drops out of my pocket, I might not notice until I
> need it again.  If my hand gets amputated, I'm fairly certain that I would
> notice quite quickly... 

Reminded me of that scene in "Sneakers" where they steal the guy's keycard
to get in.  Risks of leaving that sort of thing in one's jacket pocket. 
Also, lots of high-tech places have at least one automated
unattended/unmonitored entrance, so if you get a keycard, it's easy to get
into the place (my current employer has unattended entrances with
cameras).  Even with the manned entrances, the ones with just a
receptionist/secretary, they seldom check that the picture matches the one
on the badge, so even if they've invalidated the badge, the receptionist
will still more than likely let you into the place if you wave your
keycard/badge around. Highlights the need to *still* concentrate on
physical security and authentication - all the electronic toys just make
security folks lazy. 
--
Ed Carp, N7EKG    			Ed.Carp@linux.org, ecarp@netcom.com
					214/993-3935 voicemail/digital pager
					800/558-3408 SkyPager
Finger ecarp@netcom.com for PGP 2.5 public key		an88744@anon.penet.fi

"Past the wounds of childhood, past the fallen dreams and the broken families,
through the hurt and the loss and the agony only the night ever hears, is a
waiting soul.  Patient, permanent, abundant, it opens its infinite heart and
asks only one thing of you ... 'Remember who it is you really are.'"

                    -- "Losing Your Mind", Karen Alexander and Rick Boyes

The mark of a good conspiracy theory is its untestability.
		    -- Andrew Spring