[26618] in North American Network Operators' Group
Read an email, lose your privacy
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Henry R. Linneweh)
Mon Jan 10 13:56:49 2000
Message-ID: <387A2A8D.3EB40E2D@concentric.net>
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2000 10:53:01 -0800
From: "Henry R. Linneweh" <linneweh@concentric.net>
Reply-To: linneweh@concentric.net
MIME-Version: 1.0
To: nanog <nanog@merit.edu>
Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
boundary="------------9C4EAD50C182408C8B0F4236"
Errors-To: owner-nanog-outgoing@merit.edu
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
--------------9C4EAD50C182408C8B0F4236
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-silicon.html
--
Thank you;
|--------------------------------------------|
| Thinking is a learned process so is UNIX |
|--------------------------------------------|
Henry R. Linneweh
--------------9C4EAD50C182408C8B0F4236
Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii;
name="swol-01-silicon.html"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
Content-Disposition: inline;
filename="swol-01-silicon.html"
Content-Base: "http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline
/swol-01-2000/swol-01-silicon.html"
Content-Location: "http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline
/swol-01-2000/swol-01-silicon.html"
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Read an email, lose your privacy</TITLE>
<META NAME="description" content="Read an email, lose your privacy">
<META NAME="keywords" content="Aggregation, Cookie, EFF, email, JunkBusters, Macro Virus, Privacy, Trojan Horse, Virus, spam">
<META NAME="author" content="Rich Morin">
<META NAME="date" content="Sat Jan 1 00:01:00 GMT 2000">
<META NAME="live" content="yes">
<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#000000" LINK="#0000FF" ALINK="#FF0000" VLINK="#551a8b">
<TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="100%" BGCOLOR="#003399">
<TR>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">
<TABLE CELLPADDING="8" CELLSPACING="0" BORDER="0">
<TR>
<TD>
<FONT COLOR="#CCCCCC" SIZE="-1">Advertisement: Support SunWorld, click here!</FONT><BR>
<NOLAYER>
<IFRAME SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=468x60" height=60 width=468 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no><A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=468x60"><IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=468x60" height=60 width=468></A></IFRAME>
</NOLAYER>
<ilayer id=ph1 visibility=hide height=60 width=468></ilayer>
<BR CLEAR="ALL">
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<TABLE ALIGN="LEFT" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0">
<TR>
<TD COLSPAN="4" BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN="4"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/blue-ul.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="9" BORDER="0"></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD COLSPAN="4" BGCOLOR="#003399"><a href="/index.html"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/sw-logo.gif" WIDTH="160" HEIGHT="56" BORDER="0"></a></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD ALIGN="RIGHT" COLSPAN="4" BGCOLOR="#003399">
<FONT SIZE="-1" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif">
January 2000
</FONT>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="BOTTOM" ALIGN="RIGHT" COLSPAN="4" BGCOLOR="#003399"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/blue-corner.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="9" BORDER="0"></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT" COLSPAN="5" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/slice.gif" WIDTH="11" HEIGHT="2"></TD>
</TR>
<!-- block 1 -->
<TR>
<TD ALIGN="left" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/vslice.gif" WIDTH="2" HEIGHT="9" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="9" ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#003399"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/overlap.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="9" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" BGCOLOR="#003399">
<FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif"> Search</FONT>
</TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN="1" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="9" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="1" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" ALIGN="LEFT" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF">
<!-- search -->
<FORM ACTION="http://search.sunworld.com/query.html" METHOD="GET" name="seek">
<TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0">
<TR>
<TD>
<INPUT TYPE="HIDDEN" NAME="col" SIZE="-1" VALUE="sw">
<!-- This is the text box for search terms -->
<!--See above-->
<INPUT TYPE="TEXT" NAME="qt" SIZE="10" MAXLENGTH="2047">
</TD>
<TD> <INPUT TYPE="IMAGE" SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/go.gif" WIDTH="27" HEIGHT="22" BORDER="0"></TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</FORM>
</TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<!-- block 2 -->
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN="2" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="9" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#003399"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/blue-left.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="9" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" ALIGN="LEFT" BGCOLOR="#003399">
<FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif"> Navigate</FONT>
</TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD WIDTH="9"> </TD>
<TD>
<TABLE WIDTH="125" CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="2" BORDER="0">
<TR>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER"><A HREF="/sunworldonline/home.html"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/sw-house.gif" WIDTH="14" HEIGHT="14" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0"></A></TD>
<TD>
<FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif">
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/home.html">Home</A>
</FONT>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER"> <A HREF="/swol-01-2000/swol-01-bookshelf.html"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/sw-arrow.gif" WIDTH="14" HEIGHT="13" BORDER="0"></A>
</TD>
<TD>
<FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif">
<A HREF="/swol-01-2000/swol-01-bookshelf.html">Next Story</A>
</FONT>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER"><A HREF="/sunworldonline/cgi-bin/swol-mailToFriend.cgi?head=Read%20an%20email%2C%20lose%20your%20privacy&author=Rich%20Morin&summary=Assorted%20cyberprivacy%20organizations%20are%20asking%20regulators%20to%20fix%20a%20privacy%20leak%20in%20Web%20browser%20software.%20Rich%20Morin%20tells%20us%20why%20leaks%20are%20only%20a%20small%20part%20of%20the%20problem.%20%3CEM%3E%281%2C000%20words%29%3C%2FEM%3E%0A"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/sw-envelope.gif" WIDTH="14" HEIGHT="9" BORDER="0"></A></TD>
<TD>
<FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif">
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/cgi-bin/swol-mailToFriend.cgi?head=Read%20an%20email%2C%20lose%20your%20privacy&author=Rich%20Morin&summary=Assorted%20cyberprivacy%20organizations%20are%20asking%20regulators%20to%20fix%20a%20privacy%20leak%20in%20Web%20browser%20software.%20Rich%20Morin%20tells%20us%20why%20leaks%20are%20only%20a%20small%20part%20of%20the%20problem.%20%3CEM%3E%281%2C000%20words%29%3C%2FEM%3E%0A">Mail this Article</A>
</FONT>
</TD>
</TR>
<!--print-->
<TR>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER" VALIGN="TOP"><A HREF="/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-silicon_p.html"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/sw-printer.gif" WIDTH="16" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0"></A></TD>
<TD>
<FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif">
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-silicon_p.html">Printer-Friendly Version</A>
</FONT>
</TD>
</TR>
<!--end_print-->
</TABLE>
</TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<!-- block 3 -->
<TR>
<TD ROWSPAN="4"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="9" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#003399"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/blue-left.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="9" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" BGCOLOR="#003399">
<FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif">Navigate</FONT>
</TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN="2"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="0" HEIGHT="4" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD WIDTH="9" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="1" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" ALIGN="LEFT" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF">
<FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif">
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/subscribe.html">Subscribe, It's Free</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/swol-siteindex.html">Topical Index</A><BR>
<A HREF="/common/swol-backissues.html">Backissues</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/sunwhere.html">SunWHERE</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/letters.html">Letters to the Editor</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/swol-calendar.html">Events Calendar</A><BR>
<A HREF="http://www.techdispatch.com">TechDispatch Newsletters</A><BR>
</FONT>
</TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD COLSPAN="2"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="0" HEIGHT="4" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<!-- block 4 -->
<TR>
<TD ROWSPAN="4"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="9" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#003399"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/blue-left.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="9" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" ALIGN="LEFT" BGCOLOR="#003399"><FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif"> Technical FAQs</FONT></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD COLSPAN="2"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="0" HEIGHT="4" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD WIDTH="9" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="1" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" ALIGN="LEFT" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF">
<FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif">
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/security-faq.html">Solaris Security</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/swol-08-1998/swol-08-security.html">Secure Programming</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/cockcroft.letters.html">Performance Q&A</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/swol-01-1998/swol-01-perf.html">SE Toolkit</A><BR>
</FONT>
</TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD COLSPAN="2"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="0" HEIGHT="4" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<!-- block 5 -->
<TR>
<TD ROWSPAN="4"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="9" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#003399"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/blue-left.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="9" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" ALIGN="LEFT" BGCOLOR="#003399"><FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif"> SunWorld Partners</FONT></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD COLSPAN="2"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="0" HEIGHT="4" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD WIDTH="9" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="1" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" ALIGN="LEFT" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF">
<FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif">
<A HREF="http://www.pparadise.com/sunworld/">Software Store</A><BR>
<A HREF="http://www.careercentral.com/html/sunworldhome.asp">Career Central</A><BR>
<A HREF="http://www.sun.com/">Sun Microsystems</A><BR>
<A HREF="http://www.itcareers.com/">ITcareers</A>
<!--PARTNER_ADS-->
</FONT>
</TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD COLSPAN="2"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="0" HEIGHT="4" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<!-- block 6 -->
<TR>
<TD ROWSPAN="4"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="9" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#003399"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/blue-left.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="9" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" ALIGN="LEFT" BGCOLOR="#003399"><FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif"> About SunWorld</FONT></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD COLSPAN="2"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="0" HEIGHT="4" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD WIDTH="9" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"> </TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" ALIGN="LEFT" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF">
<FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif">
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/swol-faq.html">SunWorld FAQ</A><BR>
<A HREF="http://www.wpi.com/sunworld/sw-adopportunity.html">Advertising Info</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/swol-editors4.html">SunWorld Editors</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/swol-masthead5.html">Masthead</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/swol-editcalendar.html">Editorial Calendar<BR></A>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/swol-guidelines.html">Writers Guidelines</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/swol-ppstatement.html">Privacy Policy</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/linking.html">Link To Us!</A><BR>
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/swol-copyright.html">Copyright</A><BR>
</FONT>
</TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD COLSPAN="2"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="0" HEIGHT="4" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD ROWSPAN="4"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="9" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#003399"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/blue-left.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="9" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" ALIGN="LEFT" BGCOLOR="#003399"><FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif"> Advertisement</FONT></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD COLSPAN="2"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="0" HEIGHT="4" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD WIDTH="9" VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF"> </TD>
<TD WIDTH="134" ALIGN="LEFT" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF">
<BR>
<NOLAYER>
<IFRAME SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=1" height=125 width=125 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no><A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=1"><IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=1" height=125 width=125></A></IFRAME>
</NOLAYER>
<ilayer id=ph2 visibility=hide height=125 width=125></ilayer>
<P>
<NOLAYER>
<IFRAME SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=2" height=125 width=125 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no><A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=2"><IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=2" height=125 width=125></A></IFRAME>
</NOLAYER>
<ilayer id=ph3 visibility=hide height=125 width=125></ilayer>
<P>
<NOLAYER>
<IFRAME SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=3" height=125 width=125 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no><A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=3"><IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=3" height=125 width=125></A></IFRAME>
</NOLAYER>
<ilayer id=ph4 visibility=hide height=125 width=125></ilayer>
<P>
<NOLAYER>
<IFRAME SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=4" height=125 width=125 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no><A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=4"><IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=4" height=125 width=125></A></IFRAME>
</NOLAYER>
<ilayer id=ph5 visibility=hide height=125 width=125></ilayer>
<P>
<NOLAYER>
<IFRAME SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=5" height=125 width=125 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no><A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=5"><IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=5" height=125 width=125></A></IFRAME>
</NOLAYER>
<ilayer id=ph6 visibility=hide height=125 width=125></ilayer>
<P>
</TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD COLSPAN="2"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="0" HEIGHT="4" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#003399"> </TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD COLSPAN="3" BGCOLOR="#003399"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="5" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD ALIGN="RIGHT" VALIGN="BOTTOM" BGCOLOR="#003399"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/blue-bottom.gif" WIDTH="3" HEIGHT="3" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1"></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD COLSPAN="5"> </TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<H1 ALIGN="CENTER">
Read an email, lose your privacy
</H1>
<H3 ALIGN="CENTER">
Email can be spammer's weapon in more ways than one
</H3>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<STRONG>Summary</STRONG><BR>
Assorted cyberprivacy organizations are asking regulators to fix a privacy leak in Web browser software. Rich Morin tells us why leaks are only a small part of the problem. <EM>(1,000 words)</EM>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>
<HR NOSHADE>
<P>
<TABLE ALIGN="RIGHT" BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0">
<TR>
<TD ROWSPAN="3"> </TD>
<TD VALIGN="BOTTOM" ALIGN="CENTER">
<FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif" COLOR="#003399" SIZE="+1">
<STRONG>SILICON CARNY</STRONG></FONT>
</TD>
<TD ROWSPAN="3"> </TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD><HR></TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="TOP" ALIGN="CENTER"><FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif" COLOR="#003399">By Rich Morin</STRONG></FONT></TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<!-- begin body text -->
<IMG ALIGN="LEFT" width="24" height="29" SRC="/sunworldonline/abcs/T.gif" ALT="T">he headline shouted "E-Mail May Be Peril to Privacy" from the business section's front page in the <em>San Francisco Chronicle.</em> Reading the December 4 article by Associated Press writer Kalpana Srinivasan, I was happy to see the issue getting some attention but hardly surprised to hear about yet another privacy threat. David Brin, the author of <EM>The Transparent Society,</EM> writes that a lack of privacy is inevitable. Although I don't agree with everything he says, the odds look pretty good that Brin might be right about this.
<P>
And while I hope Scott McNealy is using hyperbole when he says, "You have zero privacy now. Get over it" (the <EM>PC Week</EM> "Quote of the Week," Feb. 1, 1999), it's not at all clear that he is. Every time I'm asked to have my signature digitized for posterity during a credit card purchase (which I refuse, as a matter of principle), I am reminded of just how invasive our society has become.
<P>
<P>
<FONT SIZE="+1"><STRONG>Hiding HTML links in email</STRONG></FONT><BR>
Enough generalized paranoia, however. Let's look at some specific threats.
<P>
Most Web browsers hide the HTML portion of a link, showing only a highlighted word or two. Many email clients, particularly those embedded in Web browsers, perform this service as well.
<P>
It is a useful feature, in most cases. After all, HTML code is both bulky and mysterious; most email users have neither the expertise, time, nor motivation to analyze every incoming bit of HTML. Unfortunately, however, it can leave an unwary user open to privacy attacks.
<P>
Let's say I get a piece of spam from a porn site, containing includes the following bit of HTML:
<P>
<PRE>
<A HREF="http://www.smuttystuff.com">www.smuttystuff.com</A>
</PRE>
<P>
No problem so far: www.smuttystuff.com is just a Website, so I should be pretty anonymous visiting it. All the site will get from my visit, in general, is an IP number or perhaps a domain name. The site can't use either of those to send me more spam or identify me as a visitor.
<P>
Unfortunately, URLs can contain other items, including parameters that can be transmitted back to the site:
<P>
<PRE>
<A HREF="http://www.smuttystuff.com?u=foo@bar.com">www.smuttystuff.com</A>
</PRE>
<P>
If I take the bait and visit the site, my email address, foo@bar.com, can be put on a hot list. Of course, the site managers had already obtained my address from an existing list, but they didn't know I would take the offered bait. Now they do.
<P>
It gets worse. If I am using such a Web browser to handle my email, even opening the email message may be enough to initiate a serious loss of privacy. Many Web browsers are capable of enhancing email messages with all sorts of (possibly invisible) images, retrieving them when a message is opened from any specified URL. The spammer is free to include an IMG tag that includes my email address in a parameter, as follows:
<P>
<PRE>
<IMG SRC="http://www.smuttystuff.com/x.jpg?u=foo@bar.com">
</PRE>
<P>
<P>
<FONT SIZE="+1"><STRONG>Wanna cookie?</STRONG></FONT><BR>
The spammer now knows that I opened his message, but even that's not the worst part. The Website can also return a cookie to my browser containing my (possibly disguised) email address. This means that any future visit I make to his site (or other, cooperating sites) can be recorded and indexed to my email address.
<P>
In short, my privacy will have been severely compromised by my email software, without my knowledge or permission. For more information on this specific kind of attack, see the Electronic Frontier Foundation's press release or the technical report by security expert Richard M. Smith (in <a href="#resources">Resources</a>, below).
<P>
<P>
<FONT SIZE="+1"><STRONG>Variations</STRONG></FONT><BR>
These sorts of attacks can take many forms. For instance, it is quite possible to eliminate the need for a parameter altogether. Let's say the image request looks like this:
<P>
<PRE>
<IMG SRC="http://www.smuttystuff.com/blonds/susie_q.jpg">
</PRE>
<P>
That seems pretty innocent, from a privacy perspective, but it might not be. In one possible scenario, the spammer could generate a unique URL for each outgoing email message, joining random names (<code>susie</code>, <code>tammy</code>, ...) with random letters (<code>q</code>, <code>r</code>, and so on). As each piece of email is sent, the spammer saves the outgoing email address in a database, keyed by the unique portion (<code>susie_q</code>) of the URL.
<P>
When the image request is received, a hidden CGI script (<code>http://www.smuttystuff.com/blonds</code>) can record the request in the database, send me an identifying cookie, and so on. In short, any image request could be tagged.
<P>
Finally, if I am foolish enough to click on an unknown URL, the spammer doesn't need parameters or even "hidden" HTML:
<P>
<PRE>
http://www.smuttystuff.com/blonds/susie_q.html
</PRE>
<P>
The same logic applies: because the spammer knows whom he told about <code>susie_q</code>, he knows who is asking to see the Web page. Welcome to spamland, sucker.
<P>
<P>
<FONT SIZE="+1"><STRONG>Conclusions</STRONG></FONT><BR>
One moral of this story, like that of Ken Thompson's classic paper, "Reflections on Trusting Trust" (see <a href="#resources">Resources</a>), is that Trojan horses can come in many guises, and one should not trust a stranger's offerings, even if they contain no visible threats.
<P>
Another moral is that convenient "features," made possible by aggregating pieces of software (in this case, email and Web clients), can lead to unexpected security holes. Microsoft is the most obvious perpetrator here, but Netscape and others have contributed to the situation.
<P>
In an environment where random miscreants can send email to unsuspecting victims, keeping a few barriers in place seems only prudent. The spate of emailed "macro viruses" provides a clear example of the reasons.
<P>
Putting macros -- interpretable code -- into word processors and other programs is clearly a powerful and useful idea. Having email software start up a copy of the word processor, so you can read formatted mail, is also quite convenient. Unfortunately, the combination means that ill-wishers can run macros on a victim's machine merely by sending email.
<P>
I don't have any global solutions to offer, but I can offer some advice: Don't use Web browsers or highly integrated systems, such as Microsoft Outlook, as email clients; they're far too accommodating to spammers.
<P>
If you must use unsafe email software, try to use it in a conservative manner. Turn off any automated features, such as automated program invocation, that might allow others to take over your machine. Until the vendors add some real security, the risks far outweigh any possible convenience.
<P>
<strong>Editor's note:</strong> The domain name Smuttystuff.com was not registered at the time this article was published. Any similarity to an existing domain name or Website is purely coincidental.
<IMG HEIGHT="8" WIDTH="8" SRC="/sunworldonline/icons/dingbat.gif">
<!-- end body text -->
<P>
<A NAME="bio">
<TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="3" BORDER="0">
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="TOP">
<!--IMG-->
</TD>
<TD BGCOLOR="#000000"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/dot_clear.gif" WIDTH="2" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD VALIGN="TOP">
<STRONG>
<FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif">
About the author
</FONT>
</STRONG><BR>
<A NAME="author" HREF="/sunworldonline/cgi-bin/swol-mailto.cgi?rich.morin@sunworld.com+/swol-01-2000/swol-01-silicon.html+author">Rich Morin</A> operates <A HREF="http://www.cfcl.com">Canta Forda Computer Laboratory</A>, a computer consulting firm specializing in open source software. He lives in San Bruno, Calif., on the San Francisco peninsula.
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
<DIV ALIGN="CENTER">
<FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif">
<A HREF="/home.html">Home</A> |
<A HREF="/swol-01-2000/swol-01-bookshelf.html">Next Story</A> |
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/cgi-bin/swol-mailToFriend.cgi?head=Read%20an%20email%2C%20lose%20your%20privacy&author=Rich%20Morin&summary=Assorted%20cyberprivacy%20organizations%20are%20asking%20regulators%20to%20fix%20a%20privacy%20leak%20in%20Web%20browser%20software.%20Rich%20Morin%20tells%20us%20why%20leaks%20are%20only%20a%20small%20part%20of%20the%20problem.%20%3CEM%3E%281%2C000%20words%29%3C%2FEM%3E%0A">Mail this Story</A> |
<!--print-->
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-silicon_p.html">Printer-Friendly Version</A> |
<!--end_print-->
<A HREF="#mini-ditka">Comment on this Story</A> |
<A HREF="#resources">Resources and Related Links</A>
</FONT>
</DIV>
<P>
<DIV ALIGN="CENTER">
<FORM METHOD="POST" ACTION="/sunworldonline/cgi-bin/swol-nav.cgi">
<SELECT NAME="jump_list">
<option value="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/index.html">
Also this month in SunWorld
<option value="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/index.html">
Features:
ure <OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-ldap3.html"> - Programming LDAP
ure <OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-active.html"> - Active networks awaits its day
<option value="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/index.html">
News & Views:
<OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-bookshelf.html"> - Content: the king deposed
<OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-regex.html"> - Can your favorite scripting language take it to the next level?
<OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-newsbriefs.html"> - New Product Briefs (January 4, 2000)
<OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-if.html"> - News on the latest Internet standards and struggles
<OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-newsbriefs_2.html"> - New Product Briefs (January 10, 2000)
<OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-sunspots.html"> - The latest tidbits on Sun deals and product news
<OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-career.html"> - Past your prime?
<option value="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/index.html">
Tech Expertise:
<OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-webmaster.html"> - Webmaster 2000
<OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-unix101.html"> - The advanced basics of sed
<OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-connectivity.html"> - Wireless Access Protocol set to take over
<OPTION VALUE="http://www.sunworld.com/sunworldonline/swol-01-2000/swol-01-supersys.html"> - A report from LISA
</SELECT>
<INPUT TYPE="SUBMIT" VALUE="Go">
</FORM>
</DIV>
<DIV ALIGN="CENTER">
<P>
<TABLE CELLPADDING="5" CELLSPACING="0" BORDER="0">
<TR>
<TD>
<FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE="-1">Advertisement: Support SunWorld, click here!</FONT><BR>
<NOLAYER>
<IFRAME SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=468x60" height=60 width=468 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 hspace=0 vspace=0 frameborder=0 scrolling=no><A HREF="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=468x60"><IMG SRC="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=468x60" height=60 width=468></A></IFRAME>
</NOLAYER>
<ilayer id=ph7 visibility=hide height=60 width=468></ilayer>
<BR CLEAR="ALL">
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</DIV>
<A NAME="resources">
<P>
<TABLE BORDER="0" WIDTH="100%" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0">
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#003399"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/blue-left.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="9" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD COLSPAN="2" BGCOLOR="#003399"><FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif"><STRONG>Resources and Related Links</STRONG></FONT></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD> </TD>
<TD>
<UL>
<LI><em>The Transparent Society,</em> David Brin (Perseus Books, 1999):
<BR><A HREF="http://www.perseusbooks.com ">http://www.perseusbooks.com </A><LI>Prepublication version of Chapter 1:
<BR><A HREF="http://crit.org/http://crit.org/openness/sourcedocs/BrinCh1.html">http://crit.org/http://crit.org/openness/sourcedocs/BrinCh1.html</A><LI>"The Cookie Leak Security Hole in HTML Email Messages," Richard M. Smith:
<BR><A HREF="http://www.tiac.net/users/smiths/privacy/cookleak.htm">http://www.tiac.net/users/smiths/privacy/cookleak.htm</A><LI>Electronic Frontier Foundation press release:
<BR><A HREF="http://www.eff.org/pub/Privacy/Profiling/19991202_joint_profiling_pressrel.html">http://www.eff.org/pub/Privacy/Profiling/19991202_joint_profiling_pressrel.html</A><LI>"Reflections on Trusting Trust," Ken Thompson (<em>Communication of the ACM,</em> August 1984):
<BR><A HREF="http://www.acm.org/classics/sep95">http://www.acm.org/classics/sep95</A></ul><strong>Additional SunWorld resources</strong><ul><LI>Previous <STRONG>Silicon Carny</STRONG> columns in <EM>SunWorld:</EM>
<BR><A HREF="http://www.sunworld.com/common/swol-backissues-columns.html#silicon">http://www.sunworld.com/common/swol-backissues-columns.html#silicon</A><LI>The <em>SunWorld</em> Topical Index -- a comprehensive listing of all <em>SunWorld</em> articles by subject:
<BR><A HREF="http://www.sunworld.com/common/swol-siteindex.html">http://www.sunworld.com/common/swol-siteindex.html</A><LI>Visit sunWHERE -- launchpad to hundreds of online resources for Sun users:
<BR><A HREF="http://www.sunworld.com/sunwhere.html">http://www.sunworld.com/sunwhere.html</A><LI>Explore back issues of <em>SunWorld:</em>
<BR><A HREF="http://www.sunworld.com/common/swol-backissues.html">http://www.sunworld.com/common/swol-backissues.html</A><LI>IDG.net, your one-stop IT resource:
<BR><A HREF="http://www.idg.net">http://www.idg.net</A>
</UL>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<a name="mini-ditka">
<BR>
<TABLE BORDER="0" WIDTH="100%" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0">
<TR>
<TD VALIGN="TOP" BGCOLOR="#003399"><IMG SRC="/sunworldonline/icons-rd/blue-left.gif" WIDTH="9" HEIGHT="9" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0"></TD>
<TD COLSPAN="2" BGCOLOR="#003399">
<FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif"><STRONG>Tell Us What You Thought of This Story</STRONG></FONT>
</TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD> </TD>
<TD>
<BR>
<FORM METHOD="POST" ACTION="/sunworldonline/cgi-bin/swol-mini-survey.cgi?2000-swol-01-silicon.html">
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" ALIGN="CENTER" CELLPADDING="0" BORDER="0">
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1">
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="worth" VALUE="3">-Very worth reading<br>
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="worth" VALUE="2">-Worth reading<br>
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="worth" VALUE="1">-Not worth reading<br>
</td><td align="left" valign="top" rowspan="1" colspan="1">
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="length" VALUE="3">-Too long<br>
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="length" VALUE="2">-Just right<br>
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="length" VALUE="1">-Too short<br>
</td><td align="left" valign="top" rowspan="1" colspan="1">
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="tech" VALUE="3">-Too technical<br>
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="tech" VALUE="2">-Just right<br>
<INPUT TYPE="radio" NAME="tech" VALUE="1">-Not technical enough<br>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
<TABLE CELLPADDING="0" BORDER="0">
<TR>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1">
<TEXTAREA NAME="comments" COLS="40" ROWS="3" WRAP="VIRTUAL">Comments:
</TEXTAREA>
</TD>
<TD> </TD>
<TR>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1">
<TEXTAREA NAME="comments" COLS="30" ROWS="1" WRAP="VIRTUAL">Name:
</TEXTAREA>
</TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1">
<TEXTAREA NAME="comments" COLS="30" ROWS="1" WRAP="VIRTUAL">Email:
</TEXTAREA>
</TD>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN="1" COLSPAN="1">
<TEXTAREA NAME="comments" COLS="30" ROWS="1" WRAP="VIRTUAL">Company Name:
</TEXTAREA>
</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="BOTTOM">
<INPUT TYPE="submit" VALUE="Send data">
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</FORM>
<TD> </TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</a>
<P>
<DIV ALIGN="CENTER">
<A HREF="/sunworldonline/common/swol-copyright.html"><IMG BORDER="0" width="400" height="22" SRC="/sunworldonline/icons/b-copyright99.gif" ALT="(c) Copyright 2000 Web Publishing Inc., and IDG Communication company"></A>
</DIV>
<P>
If you have technical problems with this magazine, contact
<A NAME="webmaster" HREF="/sunworldonline/cgi-bin/swol-mailto.cgi?webmaster@sunworld.com+/swol-01-2000/swol-01-silicon.html+webmaster">webmaster@sunworld.com</A>
<P>
<STRONG>URL</STRONG>: http://www.sunworld.com/swol-01-2000/swol-01-silicon.html
<BR>
<STRONG>Last modified:</STRONG> Friday, January 07, 2000
<layer src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adl/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=468x60" visibility=hide onload="moveToAbsolute(ph1.pageX, ph1.pageY);visibility='show';"></layer>
<layer src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adl/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=1" visibility=hide onload="moveToAbsolute(ph2.pageX, ph2.pageY);visibility='show';"></layer>
<layer src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adl/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=2" visibility=hide onload="moveToAbsolute(ph3.pageX, ph3.pageY);visibility='show';"></layer>
<layer src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adl/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=3" visibility=hide onload="moveToAbsolute(ph4.pageX, ph4.pageY);visibility='show';"></layer>
<layer src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adl/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=4" visibility=hide onload="moveToAbsolute(ph5.pageX, ph5.pageY);visibility='show';"></layer>
<layer src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adl/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=125x125;tile=5" visibility=hide onload="moveToAbsolute(ph6.pageX, ph6.pageY);visibility='show';"></layer>
<layer src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adl/idg.sw.com/archives;sz=468x60" visibility=hide onload="moveToAbsolute(ph7.pageX, ph7.pageY);visibility='show';"></layer>
</BODY>
</HTML>
--------------9C4EAD50C182408C8B0F4236--
