Re: VMS 4.4 and file security

In article <1156882057_12469@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Mr. Question" <Question@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

But the way I did it, I did read somebody else's files.

Then either you had privileges or the file was set to be readable to
you. Manipulating directory file entries does not change this.

At first glance you may think you somehow worked around the original
directory file's readability. On VMS you need at least E access to a
directory to access files in it who's name you already know, and R
access to get a listing of the directory such as via the DIRECTORY
command.

But without the detail of reading the directory and perhaps some of
the file header data first by legitimate means, you wouldn't know what
to put in the directory file you were editing.

I suspect these files were all set to at least g:r and in the same
student group. Since it was 20 years ago, we will probably never
know.

.