Re:a different perspective... (Score 2)

And after modifying their system, the company that admitted that they used the document to access the system (Yahoo!) has not tried to do so again.

The other company has decided that they will subvert the serer owners attempted security and has hacked the server a second and a third time.

Wouldn't you state that AOL has indicated that they do not wish to have Microsoft using their servers in this manner? Haven't they been rather clear in their desire to retain their resources for themselves?

Wouldn't you say that Microsofts refusal to accept that it's AOLs servers and their system (unlike Yahoo!) is akin to a consistant pattern of behavior to attempt to steal services (and if they can not steal the services, to cause a degredation of the services for the rightful owners through a DoS attack)?

Such a stink was made when SATAN was released and all it did was probe servers for vunerabilities. This is a concerted effort to obtain services that were denied by the massive release of software designed to take those services that belong to another company.

How would Microsoft feel if every second 20,000 people on the net started issuing pings or finger request to the MSN servers?

It's wrong! It's theft. It's a denial of service attack on their only major threat in the Internet space.