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SubjectRe: Intel microcode fixes [OFF-TOPIC]
On Sat, 21 Nov 1998, Peter Svensson wrote:
>This is no problem. If a virus can do that, it can shange anytinh on your
>computer as well, including other parts of the bios. This could give you a
>back door anyway. The virus could change your kernel on the hard disk. In
>fact, it can do anything, since it is obviously not constrained at all by
>any os.

Right. I should have mentioned that I was thinking more along a trashed
system line. Unfortunately, due to the fact that I'm the only computer
savvy person in my family and having a pretty severe case of
ulcerative colitis which keeps me at home when it acts up, I get to fix
computers... If someone downloaded a malicious app, they could have a
completely unusable system. I do have access to a prom burner (it saved
my butt when I lost the prom on my Sparc), but those are extremely severe
measures.

>This is like saying that the kernel won't protect me against someone
>breaking into my house and hitting my computer with a sledgehammer. That
>is a case of protection against physical changes, this is about protecting
>the computer from running code not under the os control.

Yep. All security goes out the window when you've got access to the iron.

It seems to me that it'd be REALLY simple to protect against, though. If
Intel hard wired the reset command into a permanent microstore instead of
in the volatile one, it's a moot point, since there's a trusted way of
clearing changes.

Pat

--
Patrick St. Jean '97 XLH 883 psj@cgmlarson.com
Programmer & Systems Administrator +1 713-977-4177 x115
Larson Software Technology http://www.cgmlarson.com


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