[Year 12 IT Apps] Netbus Back Orifice - textbook concern

[Henry Johnson]

Hi Maggie, 

How have you concluded these apps are viruses? They may sometimes be
included as a "payload" for a virus, but they do not replicate or damage
an operating system. Norton will detect programs like keyloggers as
well. It turns out that most of the virus detection companies would
rather sell you their version of desktop monitoring systems rather than
have you use free stuff. I am not saying that Netbus and BackOrrifice
are great programs victimized by corporate greed, but the coders who
wrote these tools tend feel that way. Unfortunately these programs are
often used by hackers/crackers as they are free and hence have a bad
reputation by association. They can be used for good as well as evil!

And I think that their code is accessible as well and the documentation
is probably not too bad. It has been quite a few years since I have
looked at BackOrrifice but it had a very impressive feature set, as well
as 256 bit encryption which was more security than average. Of course,
once you "owned" a system, I guess you didn't want any one else stealing
it! Often these types of programs form a core set of tools that a
network security professional will use in their day to day work. At our
school, Nortons will complain about many software packages that can be
used to obtain info about networks and computers. Handy to find
individuals who are not system administrators, but trying to become one!

Installation of any type of monitoring system on a computer you are not
authorized to use is of course a crime. The privacy concern is what
should be discussed, as well as the fact that these types of tools are
easily obtainable.  So I'd say you would have to make sure that your
students make the point that these types of tools (even if they are
questionable) should only be used by people authorized to do so.
Otherwise its a go to jail free card. Even if you have installed a
licensed commercial monitoring program.

Cheers

On Mon, 2007-07-16 at 17:43 -0700, Maggie Iaquinto wrote:
> On p 238 of the Potts and Keane textbook, a paragraph contains a 
> discussion of desktop monitoring systems.
> 
> “Two popular and easily obtainable desktop monitoring packages are 
> Netbus and BackOrrifice [sic].”
> 
> Now, these two apps are viruses. They will be picked up on most systems 
> by virus detection software.
> 
> Are they popular? Most likely, with hackers.
> Are they easily obtainable? You bet. Just use a search engine and 
> download them.
> 
> 
> My concern lies with the lack of discussion that these tools are 
> viruses. No system administrator will use these tools because they are 
> not fully documented so we don't know exactly what is compiled in them. 
> Basically, they are backdoors --- and to where?
> 
> When I read that paragraph, it seemed that these tools are acceptable. 
> IMHO, they are not acceptable and would harm the system.
> 
> So, let's say there is a question on the final exam about desktop 
> monitoring and the ethics etc of using such tools. And the students 
> write that system administrators can easily download the popular Netbus 
> or Back Orifice programs. And let's say that an exam assessor, who feels 
> as I do that the use of such programs is harmful, marks it as wrong.
> 
> The Potts and Keane textbook has much which is laudable and commendable. 
> But, I think that this one section needs clarification.
> 
> I may have misread the paragraph and have drawn the wrong conclusions. 
> In the spirit of helpful, positive debate, what do others think?
> 
> Maggie
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****************************************
Henry Johnson
Yavneh College Moodle Administrator
http://moodle.yavneh.vic.edu.au
h.johnson at yavneh.vic.edu.au