:O'Reilly Network: CYA for System Administrators; Things to keep in mind in our litigious society
O'Reilly Network: CYA for System Administrators; Things to keep in mind in our litigious society Apr 21, 2000, 17 :58 UTC (0 Talkback[s]) (4039 reads) (Other stories by David HM Spector)
"Doing the wrong thing in the cause of making your network "more
secure" can land an unlucky administrator in a duel with the legal system. This is more
likely when your actions come as a surprise or are viewed in a bad light by others who
question your authority or motives to be doing what you're doing. With all the sound and
fury in media about evil hackers, it's a good idea to consider how to protect yourself
ahead of time."
"The sheer power of the systems administration function intimidates many users and
management types when they stumble into the realization of just what can be done with
root privileges. The question that shakes out of this is pretty simple: How can I do my
job, run a system or network safely and securely without winding up on the wrong end of
a subpoena?"
"...it's a good idea to make sure that your role
and your responsibilities are fully specified. By "fully specified" I... mean that... your job description should be complete and list not
only the hardware and software you support, but what management areas that role
includes."
