On 28 Feb 2001, at 6:19, Jon Lindgren wrote:

> Opening it up to any form of remote access
> gives rise to the possibility of something, somehow gaining access and
> comprimising the security of any networks or hosts involved.

Hi,

I do agree, but sometimes remote access is necessary. You might 
consider connecting another computer with a modem (for a larger 
installation I once used a dedivated machine with a 16Port serial 
card that was connected to 16 machines). The modem can be 
configured to anly accept connections from one telephone number 
or some callback sheme to enhance security. This will allow 
manipulations of the secure machine only available in singele user 
mode. For an attack indepth knowledge of the setup was needed.

HTH

mike