Messages in this thread | | | From | "David Schwartz" <> | Subject | RE: disabling Intel PSN | Date | Fri, 17 Dec 1999 15:36:45 -0800 |
| |
> On Fri, 17 Dec 1999, David Woodhouse wrote: > > > > > pjb1008@cam.ac.uk said: > > > I think it's a bad idea to allow it at all. If it's enabled, vendors > > > will start using it for generating software licence keys; its bad > > > enough that Mac addresses are used for this purpose (consider what > > > happens when your server's hardware fails and needs to be replaced). > > > > That's the best reason I've heard so far, and it still doesn't > hold much > > water. They have to have a fall-back; nobody's going to > voluntarily limit > > themselves to only running on PIII, and in that case you just > disable the S/N > > while you're installing the license. > > Consider the fact that a certain windows office package will imbed the PSN > in your data files if it can get it. > > Gerhard
That tells you nothing more than the processor that was running when the document was generated. Similar data is available from the IP address, host name, user name, date/time, and the MAC address.
But I don't follow the general argument. That a feature can be used for a bad purpose is not grounds for disabling it, is it? If it has the potential to make something a bit more secure, surely that's a good thing. If it doesn't, then how can it compromise privacy?
If a malicious program wants to leak person information about you, then it can do so with or without a PSN.
DS
- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
| |