Indian Net Service Providers And Surfers - VSNL Blocks "Shellshock" Program

VSNL has recently blocked Shellshock software which permitted Shell Account holders to avail all the advanced TCP/IP facilities, such as graphics, in breach of the provisions applying to a shell account.

The Shell account users pay Rs.,000/-, for a limited set of commands and features including Telnet, e-mail, file transfer, Lynx and Internet relay-chat. The Shell Internet connection is a cheaper account, offered with the objective of increasing the use of Internet among students, researchers and the government for fast communication.

The TCP/IP connection costing Rs.15,000/-, provide the full range of services, including graphics and automated download.

In contrast download on a shell account is manual and serial. The shell shock software automates the downloading process, enabling surfers to use the services within the VSNL infrastructure, such as the Unix environment, on a continuous basis, without authorisation. The use of the operating system resources, including Unix,