Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!sequent!johnv
From: johnv@sequent.UUCP (John VanZandt)
Newsgroups: comp.arch
Subject: Re: Randomised Instruction Set Computer
Keywords: viruses
Message-ID: <36415@sequent.UUCP>
Date: 8 Jun 90 17:11:07 GMT
References: <3131@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au> <14060@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM>
Reply-To: johnv@crg3.UUCP (John VanZandt)
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems, Inc
Lines: 10


Having worked with a B6700 computer for many years, I found that
it was not necessary to break physical security to create codefiles
and compilers.  The system software (circa 1972-1980) had enough security holes
that a non-priviledged program could establish itself as having
total priviledges, and thus change the bits in the stack which determined
whether it was a compiler, circumventing the need for operator intervention.

Now, these security holes have been fixed, but whether any others exist,
I do not know.