Re: Suggestion for a new URL type

William M. Perry (wmperry@nectarine.ucs.indiana.edu)
Sat, 26 Jun 1993 13:58:33 -0500

Thus wrote: Rob Raisch
>
>I'd like to suggest the following form for a new type of URL. This would
>answer the need of a 'finger' URL type, as well as others, in a simple,
>generic interface.
>
> A Generic TCP URL Type -
>
> ex. tcp://host.domain:port/data_for_tcp_port
>
> where:
> - port would be numeric as well as symbolic,
> 79 or finger
> - data_for_tcp_port would allow escaped chars,
> line#1\nline#2\nline#3
>
> Possible uses:
>
> Finger - "tcp://ruby.ora.com:79" or
> "tcp://ruby.ora.com:finger/username"
>
> Webster - "tcp://ora.com:webster/DEFINE server\nQUIT"
>
> Whois - "tcp://rs.internic.net:43/ORA.COM"
>
> Time - "tcp://localhost:daytime"
>
> NNTP - "tcp://ruby.ora.com:nntp/LIST"
>
>Any comments?

What about security? What if some bozo decided to put a url like:

tcp://some.generic.news.server:nntp/line#1\nCODE TO FORGE NEWSGROUP\n...

or

tcp://some.generic.news.server:25/HELO some.host\nRCPT TO: root\nMAIL
FROM: stupid.user\nDATA\n Hey bozo - <Very derogative statements> Love
- stupid.user\n.\nQUIT\n

And called it something like "Man Pages For Ultrix"?

Could lead to some interesting discussions with your local sysadmin if
you clicked on that second one. :)

I talked with Marc Vanheyningen about this a few months ago, and he
convinced me that it would be a _BAD THING_ to do something like this.
Not that there are many bozos out there that would do one of the
above, but it would only take one or two to cause some real trouble.

-Bill Perry