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Torvalds Creates Patch for Cross-Platform Virus

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the just-here-to-make-things-work dept.

Newsforge is reporting that Linus Torvalds took a few minutes to review the cross-platform proof of concept virus covered yesterday and has proven that the virus does indeed not work with latest kernel version 2.6.16 and even released a patch in order to fix this "problem." From the article: "The reason that the virus is not propagating itself in the latest kernel versions is due to a bug in how GCC handles specific registers in a particular system call. [...] So the virus did a number of strange things to make this show up, but on the other hand the kernel does try to avoid touching user registers, even if we've never really _guaranteed_ that. So the 2.6.16 effect is a mis-feature, even if a _normal_ app would never care. It just happened to bite the infection logic of your virus thing."

4 of 195 comments (clear)

  1. FP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    FP

  2. Re:Does this mean... by DrSkwid · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/reports/no-child-le ft-behind.html

    Bush is funny, like a soap opera comedy character. The US power houses sure learned thata monkey in a suit makes a better president than a thinking man. I really can't imagine a truly great statesman putting his name to that piece of junk writing.

    And, a quote from that page :

    "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of
    civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."

    -- Thomas Jefferson, 1816

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
  3. Re:Does this mean... by aardvarkjoe · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    No Child Left Behind is an old, outdated program. The new one is much improved.

    --

    How can we continue to believe in a just universe and freedom to eat crackers if we have no ale?
  4. As a regular Windows user I'd like to say... by onyx00 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Welcome to my world, Linux users!