Tom Van Vleck

I have had the privilege of working with some of the finest people in the world on some of the most interesting projects in computing.

What I always say is, "You learn something every day, unless you're careful."

Professional

Computer security, software engineering, and web applications.

Software Engineering Stories

Essays on software quality and engineering. (11/08/23, 25 files)

Computer Security

  • How the Air Force broke Multics security in the early 70s. (10/14/02)

  • Timing Channels. Covert channels are a concern in the design of secure operating systems; they allow information to leak between security domains. In 1990, I wrote a short paper about a 1976 exploitation of a timing channel, and some thoughts on the star property. (05/90)

  • Project names and Borges numbers. Since we're talking about security, you may enjoy this anecdote from Project MAC. (02/05/95)

  • Home Computer Security Advice The bare minimum that everybody should do. Version 22. (02/28/24) updated

  • How I Filter Spam It takes some work, but it's worth it. And a lot of spam is security attacks. Version 12. (03/01/24) updated

Tools (Open Source)

Shared Experience

Multics

I worked on the Multics operating system for almost 16 years in the 60s and 70s, and edit a web site describing the system, its history, and its builders.

History, Stories, & Humor

Reference

You never know when you might need to know some of this stuff.

Personal

© Tom Van Vleck 2024-03-01