- cypherpunks-legacy - lists.cpunks.org

Sloppy Chips from Intel
by Eric Cordian 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

By now everyone has probably heard that Intel Pentium and Pentium MMX chips hang when executing the instruction sequence F00FC7C8 even when in an outer ring of privilege or in V86 mode. With numerous small Linux-based ISPs out there, often providing shell services to anonymous customers, or serving customer-provided CGI programs, the existence and public disclosure such an easily exploitable flaw in their CPU's hardware protection mechanism is catastrophic. Intel, rather than extensively verifying their microprocessors before shipping them out the door, now advertises that its chips may contain "errata," or "deviations from published specifications" and doesn't seem to regard such problems as any big deal. This latest flaw is the third unexpected surprise in Intel's Pentium product line. A serious precision problem in double precision floating divide was discovered in early Pentium chips, and it was recently disclosed that there are circumstances under which the Pentium Pro may fail to generate an exception when a Float to Integer conversion overflows. While today's problem does not permit clandestine entry into a system, since it kills the system when it is exercised, it does raise the question of whether there are other more subtle problems in the hardware protection mechanism, which might enable knowlegable users to execute an occasional instruction at the wrong privelege level, or otherwise do things which should be prohibited according to the published hardware specifications. It is interesting to note that such problems have not been reported in compatible chips manufactured by AMD, a competitor of Intel. Buggy microprocessor microcode can produce very subtle exploitable faults in a chip, which are almost impossible to notice when running ordinary applications and operating systems. Instructions may do the wrong thing only when they follow certain other instructions. There may be rare times when the processor is wrongly interruptable, or when a restricted instruction is not forbidden, or is given access at the wrong privilege level, or with incorrect address translation. Were such features to be deliberately introduced into a chip, in order to permit a backdoor for undetected entry, they could be made completely undetectable, and could depend upon any number of unlikely conditions, or even specific hidden register values, in order to be made manifest. Every microprocessor could even have its own "key" for the activation of such "special features." Unlike Unix, for which complete compilable source code is available, we know little about what what microcode is run through the several million transistors on a typical microprocessor. If sloppy engineering alone produces such dangerous faults, imagine what could happen should industry decide to deliberately cooperate with various LEAs and TLAs. (In the national interest, of course.) The possiblities are truly mind-boggling. Perhaps exploits like tapping Aldrich Ames' PC and crashing Saddam Husseins' PCs en masse were not done by black bag jobs and viri, but by the activation of "National Security" backdoors present in all complex modern microprocessors. -- Eric Michael Cordian 0+ O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division "Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"

1 0

Re: [SURVEY try again] pgp5.x / pgp2.x users
by Robert A. Costner 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- At 12:23 AM 11/9/97 +0100, Ulf Möller wrote: >> > 20 % of the users who have posted digitally signed messages that are >> > available in my news spool (international and local newsgroups and >> > mailing lists) use PGP 5. The sample contains 545 unique e-mail >> > addresses. YMMV. Just to skew the numbers, I for instance have PGP 5.0 but am using a 2.6.2 DOS generated key that is RSA, not DSS. Grepping would show me to be PGP5.x, which perhaps technically I am, but my key is really 2.x -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGP for Personal Privacy 5.0 Charset: noconv iQBVAwUBNGUQUEGpGhRXg5NZAQF7fQH5AfV2VfTwuLYs1ND6UTwoWIzAf3OjTSA8 saBlUQJquCUotwr5zk3cU+KiJJ9/hgLsLzOfet16ow1Do3zop7zUJw== =VDPv -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- Robert Costner Phone: (770) 512-8746 Electronic Frontiers Georgia mailto:pooh@efga.org http://www.efga.org/ run PGP 5.0 for my public key

1 0

Make money From People Watching TV
by skyway＠t-1net.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Just Released Bill Gates has just joined with Ted Turner and Rupert Murdock to form the greatest consortium of combined technology and opportunity available today! Their plan is to take over the digital communications market by setting up people with DSS satellite equipment at no charge. As a representative with our company, you will get paid between $25 and $100 for "giving away" Digital Direct Satellites, For every person that joins the business with you to give away free Digital Direct Satellites, you will make an additional $55 to $280 We are getting paid for getting consumers set up with a total Digital Direct Satellite system with no charge, and building the distribution network of the future. Imagine how easy it is to give these away! In the first week sharing it with friends I gave away 5 not even trying and made an extra $375. There are no credit applications for the client to fill out, no mandatory 12 month contracts to join, and no surprises later down the line. The company will even upgrade the system later if it becomes obsolete, For Free! This new union was created intentionally to capture a huge active ongoing database of consumers. That's right, consumers who will purchase continuously from shows like QVC, HSN and many others, and when they purchase off of the TV you as a distributor will also make a commission off everything that they order, even while you are out golfing or sleeping, 24 hours a day. All this from you having them fill out an application that should take no more than 60 seconds. There are several other ways to get paid also, and I have enclosed the actual application for you to review. Could you imagine Christmas when they are buying like crazy and you are getting paid up to 30% of what they purchase off the television? I could and that's why we are here. Come "profit from the future of television" and join the fastest growing segment of this company and become a winner with us. If you are ready for the greatest business opportunity to come down the pike, don't miss this one, it is only 2 months old!!! Give our information hot line a call at 1-800-942-9304 pin #20088 CHECK OUT http://www.millenniumgroup2000.com -------------------------- Removes to skyway(a)t-1net.com, put remove in subject, thanks.

1 0

Re: [SURVEY try again] pgp5.x / pgp2.x users
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Robert A. Costner wrote: > Just to skew the numbers, I for instance have PGP 5.0 but am using a 2.6.2 > DOS generated key that is RSA, not DSS. Grepping would show me to be PGP5.x, > which perhaps technically I am, but my key is really 2.x > > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- > Version: PGP for Personal Privacy 5.0 This information is mostly for advertising/accreditation purposes. As such, it provides very little information useful for statistical purposes. e.g. - whether people are using PGP 5.X mostly for management of their PGP 2.6.X keys.

1 0

Re: Return of the Living Zundel, from The Netly News
by Steve Thompson 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

In local.lists.cypherpunks-moderated you write: >http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/editorial/0,1012,1561,00.html >The Netly News Network (http://netlynews.com/) > "A lot of people think this case is about censoring the Net," > said Bernie Farber, national director of community relations for the > Canadian Jewish Congress. "It isn't. It's about a Canadian violating > Canadian law. In Canada and in every other Western democracy but the > U.S., there are limits to free speech and one of those points is > vilification. I should feel I have as much right to get on the Net and > not feel demeaned because I'm a part of a particular group." I took a short 'course' on hate-crimes in downtown Toronto where this goof was the speaker. In very short order, I had decided that his agenda was merely to be in some small position of authority. He's a pro-censorship freak who wants to protect the chiiillldreeeen from views he doesn't like. It was quite amusing to pin him down a little -- he squirmed and stated that he _did_ want the government to protect him from things he didn't want to hear; in a rather shrill tone. It made me laugh in retrospect but at the time I was, I confess, shocked -- having encountered such idiocy only in print or on USENET. I wish that I had been better at articulating my thoughts during some of the discussions during the 'course'. It was difficult to portray the idea that well-supported arguements are the only _fair_ means to debunk someone else's ideas with which you disagree. I suppose that I should not have been suprised that the other participants in the course were sympathetic to Bernie's right-wing leanings, but there was a woman who owned or ran a feminist bookstore who admitted that many books ordered by her store had been held (or outright banned(?) by Canada Customs based on content; and yet, she was more-or-less in agreement with this proto-tyrant with respect to the issue of supressing the ideas of white supremists. It boggles the mind. -- Steve Thompson Misanthrope System Admin O.B. Spam: bogus(a)myofb.org --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lately every time you turn around somebody's saying: "The eighties are coming!" Like at the stroke of midnite on New Year's Eve it's all gonna be _different_! And when you tell 'em, "Come on, you know everything's just gonna keep on slowly sinking," they get downright _mad_! -- Lester Bangs, December 1979

1 0

Sloppy Chips from Intel
by lcs Mixmaster Remailer 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>The possiblities are truly mind-boggling. Perhaps exploits like tapping >Aldrich Ames' PC and crashing Saddam Husseins' PCs en masse were not done >by black bag jobs and viri, but by the activation of "National Security" >backdoors present in all complex modern microprocessors. Of course a conspiracy theorist might guess that this "new bug" is really a result of somebody hitting some "national security opcode" and we just happened to hit one of the more benign "bugs". I think you alluded to this.

1 0

Rape as Performance Art
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I can sympathize with the demonstrators that the Humboldt Sheriff's Department sprayed with pepper spray during their sit-in/protest. The police have done the same thing to me during the closing scenes of my performance art, as I climb out of the performance victim's window and try to make a run for it. I have found that judges are seldom impressed with a plea of, "Everyone wants to be a critic!" Art Lover (aka 'SouthSide Slasher') "It's not art until *I* have slashed it with a razor."

1 0

Re: Return of the Living Zundel, from The Netly News
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Steve Thompson wrote: > In local.lists.cypherpunks-moderated you write: > >http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/editorial/0,1012,1561,00.html > >The Netly News Network (http://netlynews.com/) > > "A lot of people think this case is about censoring the Net," > > said Bernie Farber, national director of community relations for the > > Canadian Jewish Congress. "It isn't. It's about a Canadian violating > > Canadian law. In Canada and in every other Western democracy but the > > U.S., there are limits to free speech and one of those points is > > vilification. > I took a short 'course' on hate-crimes in downtown Toronto where this goof was > the speaker. In very short order, I had decided that his agenda was merely to > be in some small position of authority. He's a pro-censorship freak who wants > to protect the chiiillldreeeen from views he doesn't like. It was quite > amusing to pin him down a little -- he squirmed and stated that he _did_ want > the government to protect him from things he didn't want to hear; in a rather > shrill tone. It made me laugh in retrospect but at the time I was, I confess, > shocked -- having encountered such idiocy only in print or on USENET. After the government has finished arming park rangers, as well as all federal daycare workers and filing clerks, I suppose they will begin giving surplus military weapons to USENET censors, and the like, and deputizing them so that they can legally enforce their own narrow views. > It boggles the mind. Hey! Watch your language, pal. You can't say 'boggles' on a family list! BogglesMonger

3 2

Re: Some IDIOT called CRYPTO CZAR INTERNATIONAL
by VME Encryption 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Please forward to this coward that have no balls to put his real email address on his emails (I using you guys as he put CC to you guys in his letter, but by no means does this reffer to you). Dear CRYPTO CZAR INTERNATIONAL Idiot, usually we ignore people at your level, but we'll try our best for you, as it might be just temorary insanity. 1) The million dollars challenge have ended at May 15,1997. The current challenge have NO monetary prize. 2) VME flowchart, algorithms and the VME application itself is already in the hands of the large 250 sotware corporations for evaluation. If any of them will prove otherwise, then you might be able to jump and make an idiot of yourself as you did now. 3) We beleive they might like what they saw, as we currently have them lined up to license the technology. 4) Try to keep your pathetic self away from the court room, as next time around you will face legal steps for alleging "fraud". Maybe you really should try and develop some future encryption algorithm instead of mumbling with envy showing your stupidity and ignorance, But on the other hand you're probably not capable of - you're too narrow minded and busy sticking your long nose where it does not belong. Do us and you a favour, keep yourself in your pathetic hole and shut your mouth up. Thanks and worst regards, (we won't bother putting our name on the same email with your name). At 11:06 PM 11/8/97 -0600, you wrote: >CCI: > CRYPTO CZAR INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES UNBREAKABLE CRYPTO CHALLENGE > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > >Crypto Czar International would like to announce the development of the >fastest and most secure encryption product on the market today. >We plan to develop this product early next week, as our employee has >already finished the first two chapters of 'Applied Cryptography.' > >We are so confident of our future product that we are challenging >MagNuts, Micro$oft, Nut$crape and everyone else to break it. We are >willing to pay out a $10,000,0000 prize to anyone willing to give us a >$1,000 good-faith deposit, which will be returned upon completion of our >open-ended Crypto Challenge. > >Please send ten copies of this to your friends and to your business >associates. > > The address to send the good-faith deposit to: > Crypto Czar International > c/o Electronic Fraud Foundation > Box 281, > Bienfait, Saskatchewan > CANADA S0C 0M0 > >

4 4

Re: Some IDIOT called CRYPTO CZAR INTERNATIONAL
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

VME Encryption wrote: > Please forward to this coward that have no balls to put his real email > address on his emails (I using you guys as he put CC to you guys in his > letter, but by no means does this reffer to you). Obviously, no one has informed the night janitor at VME that regular list subscribers generally just put Toto's email address in replies to particularly cowardly and/or stupid anonymous posts, since we then have a 90% chance of having sent it to the right person. As an act of mercy toward Toto, I will personally correct the spelling and grammar in the night-janitor's post and forward it to the madman at 'Che(z) Sympatico.' > Dear CRYPTO CZAR INTERNATIONAL Idiot, > 1) The million dollars challenge have ended at May 15,1997. The current > challenge have NO monetary prize. ... > 4) Try to keep your pathetic self away from the court room, as next time > around you will face legal steps for alleging "fraud". According to a claim by TruthMonger, Dr. Vulis found the backdoor in VME's encryption program, and the test message contained a plea for donations from the Georgia Cracker remailer operators. I was originally skeptical about this claim, until sources at C2Nut confirmed it. Sincerely, Ura Fishpal, Flounder and Comptroller Electronic Fraud Foundation

1 0