What is the problem with Finger?

Article: 7543 of alt.hackers
From: marlowe@io.com (marlowe)
Newsgroups: alt.hackers
Subject: What is the problem with Finger?
Date: 26 Mar 1995 21:46:45 GMT
Organization: Illuminati Online
Lines: 36
Approved: Democrats-R-Us
Message-ID: 3l4nc5$207@illuminati.io.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: pentagon.io.com
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
Status: RO

I received this from my system administrator at tenet.edu.

: From helpdesk@TENET.EDUSat Mar 25 09:56:35 1995
: Date: Sat, 25 Mar 1995 08:58:44 -0600 (CST)
: From: Helpdesk Account <helpdesk@TENET.EDU>
: Subject: Re: Finger Command

: Finger was removed from the system by the administrators as a possible
: security hole.

:                                       Kenneth Scott
:                                       TENET Help-Desk

So, I'll bite. Does anyone know what the security hole is in finger? I
can understand not wanting to have anyone be able to finger in, but why
wouldn't the admins what me to finger out?

ObBackWhenIWasInCollegeHack:

The stereo in my dorm room was pretty inconviently located. When someone
called on the phone, I had to climb over the furniture, turn down the
stereo, climb back over the furniture, and answer the phone. Lord knows,
I couldn't hear the phone with the music going. (This was in the
pre-remote days. Jeez, I'm old.)

I was at Radio Shack one day when I noticed an Emergency Stop button.
Designed to work with security systems, it was a mountable momentary switch.

I mounted the switch near the phone and wired it to the headphone jack.
The stereo would turn off the speakers if it detected a headphone plugged
in.

Now when someone called, I would press the emergency button until I
determined whether I wanted to talk to the joe or not.

Marlowe

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