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

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.