30 years ago it was not uncommon for everybody to know the root password on Unix systems. Even if you didn’t, there was so many setsuid holes that it didn’t matter.
This is a bit before my time but doesn't sound right to me - my ISP in 1994 certainly didn't give everyone the root password with our shell accounts, nor did my high school in 1996. Security holes were gaping by today's standards, but attackers were equally unsophisticated. Most setuid programs still required wheel access.
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30 years ago it was not uncommon for everybody to know the root password on Unix systems. Even if you didn’t, there was so many setsuid holes that it didn’t matter.
A lot has changed since then.
This is a bit before my time but doesn't sound right to me - my ISP in 1994 certainly didn't give everyone the root password with our shell accounts, nor did my high school in 1996. Security holes were gaping by today's standards, but attackers were equally unsophisticated. Most setuid programs still required wheel access.