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Date:      Wed, 12 Nov 1997 19:23:41 +0100 (MET)
From:      Arne Steinkamm <arne@Steinkamm.COM>
To:        jerry_hicks@bigfoot.com
Cc:        chris@netmonger.net, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Pentium bug (really)
Message-ID:  <199711121823.TAA20157@oldman.steinkamm.com>
In-Reply-To: <3469E12E.7C08C8C3@ix.netcom.com> from "Jerry Hicks" at Nov 12, 97 12:02:38 pm

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> Christopher Masto wrote:
> > 
> > I either joined this mailing list too late or joined the wrong mailing
> > lists.  Since I'm in charge of an ISP that provides shell accounts, I
> > am on the brink of making a rather important decision.  I am pretty
> > sick of Intel, so replacing our P166s with K6s is somewhat attractive.
> > Still, BSDI claims that Intel has helped them to develop a workaround
> > (which they're not at liberty to explain in detail).  Even if Intel
> > isn't being cooperative with the free software community, it is
> > plausible that "a workaround exists" implies "someone will find it and
> > publish it".
> > 
> > Of course, this is all moot if I missed the announcement that FreeBSD
> > already has the same fix.  Anyway, the big question is.. does it or
> > might it in the near future?
> > --
> > = Christopher Masto        = chris@netmonger.net = http://www.netmonger.net/  =
> > = NetMonger Communications = finger for  PGP key = $19.95/mo unlimited access =
> > = Director of Operations   =   (516)  221-6664   = mailto:info@netmonger.net  =
> 
> Seems to me they would have to examine the executable for the pattern in
> question before executing it...
> 
> A malicious person could subvert that quite easily, right?
> 
> Skeptical,
> 
> Jerry Hicks
> jerry_hicks@bigfoot.com

The changes done by bsdi with Intel's help are in locore.s and machdep.c.
This sounds like much more than pattern scanning.

.//. Arne

-- 
Arne Steinkamm        | Mail (MIME): Arne@Steinkamm.COM         IRC: Arne
Tel.: +49.89.299.756  | URL: http://WWW.Steinkamm.COM/  NIC-Handle: AS306
Robert-Koch-Str. 4    |      "There's coffee in that nebula"
D-80538 Muenchen      |  Cptn. Kathryn Janeway, ST:VOY - The Cloud



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