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www/server/staging/proprietary backdoor-definit...
From: |
Therese Godefroy |
Subject: |
www/server/staging/proprietary backdoor-definit... |
Date: |
Mon, 23 Aug 2021 04:20:30 -0400 (EDT) |
CVSROOT: /webcvs/www
Module name: www
Changes by: Therese Godefroy <th_g> 21/08/23 04:20:30
Modified files:
server/staging/proprietary: backdoor-definition.html
Log message:
Explain how the commands are executed:
https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/private/www-discuss/2021/014122.html
CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/server/staging/proprietary/backdoor-definition.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.1&r2=1.2
Patches:
Index: backdoor-definition.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/server/staging/proprietary/backdoor-definition.html,v
retrieving revision 1.1
retrieving revision 1.2
diff -u -b -r1.1 -r1.2
--- backdoor-definition.html 22 Aug 2021 12:57:44 -0000 1.1
+++ backdoor-definition.html 23 Aug 2021 08:20:29 -0000 1.2
@@ -25,20 +25,17 @@
<div style="clear: both"></div>
<div id="last-div" class="reduced-width">
<h2>What Is a Back Door?</h2>
-<div class="thin"></div>
-<p><span style="color: red">Proposition 1:</span>
-A back door is a feature in a program or device that listens for
-remote commands, and executes them. Whether this feature is documented
-or not is irrelevant.</p>
-
-<p><span style="color: blue">Proposition 2:</span>
-A back door is a feature in a program or device that listens for
-remote commands, and tells the command targets to execute them. Whether
-this feature is documented or not is irrelevant.</p>
+<address class="byline">by Richard Stallman</address>
+
+<div class="article">
+<p>A back door is a feature in a program or device that listens for remote
+commands, and does what those commands tell it to do. Whether this
+feature is documented or not is irrelevant.</p>
<p>Each back door will have a certain repertoire of command operations.
Here are some examples to illustrate that point:</p>
+
<ul>
<li>iOS has a back door whose commands can tell it to install app FOO.
That is the operation we know it supports. Perhaps it supports others
@@ -57,6 +54,7 @@
</ul>
<p>Those are the real examples I know of, but we could imagine</p>
+
<ul>
<li>a back door in an internet-connected thermostat which
has commands to (1) set the desired temperature and (2) turn heating
@@ -69,18 +67,23 @@
flash lights on and off.</li>
</ul>
-<p>There is a wide range of possible behaviors for back doors. Always
-the question is, “What does this back door offer commands to
-do?”</p>
-
-<p><span style="color: red">Proposition 1:</span>
-<em>The common thread of all back doors is that they receive remote
-commands, and obey them.</em></p>
-
-<p><span style="color: blue">Proposition 2:</span>
-<em>The common thread of all back doors is that they receive remote
-commands, and force the program or device to obey them.</em></p>
+<p>There will always be some code which receives the commands, and code
+which carries them out. In some cases, the two together are the back
+door. In other cases, the actions can be invoked in other ways,
+so that the part that receives the commands is the back door.</p>
+
+<p>For instance, in the Amazon Swindle, I am sure there is a user command
+to delete a book. Thus, the back door to delete a book will invoke
+the same code that implements the user command.</p>
+
+<p>On the other hand, the universal back door in the Amazon Swindle can
+change the installed software. There may not be anything else that
+installs software sent remotely. In this case, I'd say the code to do
+that is part of the back door.</p>
+<p>There is a wide range of possible behaviors. Always the question is,
+“What does this back door offer commands to do?”</p>
+</div>
</div>
<!--#include virtual="/proprietary/proprietary-menu.html" -->
@@ -130,7 +133,7 @@
There is more detail about copyright years in the GNU Maintainers
Information document, www.gnu.org/prep/maintain. -->
-<p>Copyright © 2021 Free Software Foundation, Inc.</p>
+<p>Copyright © 2021 Richard Stallman</p>
<p>This page is licensed under a <a rel="license"
href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">Creative
@@ -140,7 +143,7 @@
<p class="unprintable">Updated:
<!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2021/08/22 12:57:44 $
+$Date: 2021/08/23 08:20:29 $
<!-- timestamp end -->
</p>
</div>