Post by thread:Vir*ses, embedded systems, etc.

|And, now with all the power the Mr. Gates has built into the Office |tools, you can build a virus that travels in a data file (ex: Excel's |Laroux virus is an Excel spreadsheet that contains a macro that prol- |iferates itself into your Excel startup, and further into every spread- |sheet you open). That's why the new versions of Excel warn you about |auto-run macros, and offer an opportunity to disable macros before the |virus has a chance to infect your PC. Course, it also has a "disable |this warning" check box. If Microsoft supported Java or another "sandbox"ed P-code system, it would be possible to include automation macros within documents without any risk to system security. Unfortunately, they've instead allowed document macros, ActiveX, etc. to have full unimpeded system access; in addition, their e-mail software can be configured to automatically open certain types of documents which may contain such things. Perhaps the most dangerous of these "features" is the automatic opening of .html documents using Internet Explorer which then will automatically go fetch and execute any code requested by the .html docu- ment. Although Internet Explorer uses "Authenticode" technology to protect ActiveX components from tampering, there is no protection from rogue programmers other than the fact that any viruses/trojans/whatever will be traceable to the (likely stolen) credit card the programmer used to obtain the Authenticode valid - ation key. Returning to the embedded systems front, some of these issues can become a bit interesting when the ability is provided (intentionally or not) to change an embedded system's behavior by sending it suitably formatted code. On the PIC 16Cxx and other embedded-ROM micros, most of these issues don't come up but on the 68HC05 it's possible to run code from RAM; since the processor stack is also stored in data RAM, it may be possible to sneak code into RAM and cause it to execute (I actually did this while trying to work around a bug in a particular embedded system which took data from a multi-drop network. Unfortunately, since the client's tax year was ending, they decided to scrap the hardware and take th e tax write-off immediately rather than spending the time trying to salvage the $50K in programmed and potted devices. Oh well.) ObPICquestion: Does anyone know if there's a source for either ROMless 17Cxx's (either ROMles s by design or by virtue of having a useless program in OTP?) For applications which use external program memory it would seem like it might be useful to save the $$$ vs EEPROM/OTP parts. ObTrivialQuestion: I've heard that the Timex Databank watches use a 6805 derivative and that it i s in fact possible to feed code into those watches and execute it. Anyone know an y- thing about that? Attachment converted: wonderland:WINMAIL.DAT (????/----) (0001CED2)

> Van: John Payson <spam_OUTsupercatTakeThisOuTCIRCAD.COM> > Aan: .....PICLISTKILLspam@spam@MITVMA.MIT.EDU > Onderwerp: Re: Vir*ses, embedded systems, etc. > Datum: maandag 9 november 1998 18:46 <Big snip> > ObTrivialQuestion: > I've heard that the Timex Databank watches use a 6805 derivative and that it is > in fact possible to feed code into those watches and execute it. Anyone know any- > thing about that? My god ! Virusses in your watch ! What will they think of next ... The newest excuse to be late for work : Sorry Boss, my watch was slow due to a Virus ... :-) Greetz, Rudy Wieser

At 02:14 PM 11/10/98 +0100, you wrote: >My god ! Virusses in your watch ! What will they think of next ... > >The newest excuse to be late for work : >Sorry Boss, my watch was slow due to a Virus ... :-) Well, maybe someone will port some PC viruses to the watch and people won't mind them, i.e. "On the 4th of July my watch plays a jingle and says 'Happy Fourth'" <G> Sean > >Greetz, > Rudy Wieser > +-------------------------------+ | Sean Breheny | | Amateur Radio Callsign: KA3YXM| | Electrical Engineering Student| +-------------------------------+ Save lives, please look at http://www.all.org Personal page: http://www.people.cornell.edu/pages/shb7 shb7KILLspamcornell.edu Phone(USA): (607) 253-0315 ICQ #: 3329174

That's how assembly "strings" programming on the TI-8x series of calculators begain. Someone found that if you send a TI-85 more information than the user memory is capable of storing, it overflows into some sort of program memory. I think the processor is a Z-80, but not sure. Mark Moss Amateur Radio Operator, Technician, and General Tinkerer On Tue, 10 Nov 1998 14:14:24 +0100 Caisson <.....caissonKILLspam.....TELEBYTE.NL> writes: {Quote hidden}>> Van: John Payson <EraseMEsupercatspam_OUTTakeThisOuTCIRCAD.COM> >> Aan: PICLISTspam_OUTMITVMA.MIT.EDU >> Onderwerp: Re: Vir*ses, embedded systems, etc. >> Datum: maandag 9 november 1998 18:46 > ><Big snip> > >> ObTrivialQuestion: >> I've heard that the Timex Databank watches use a 6805 derivative >and >that it is >> in fact possible to feed code into those watches and execute it. >Anyone >know any- >> thing about that? > >My god ! Virusses in your watch ! What will they think of next ... > >The newest excuse to be late for work : >Sorry Boss, my watch was slow due to a Virus ... :-) > >Greetz, > Rudy Wieser > Mark Moss Amateur Radio Operator, Technician, and General Tinkerer ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

Yes the processor is a Z80 !! Javier -----Mensaje original----- De: Mark A Moss <@spam@pic.kc8deiKILLspamJUNO.COM> Para: KILLspamPICLISTKILLspamMITVMA.MIT.EDU <RemoveMEPICLISTTakeThisOuTMITVMA.MIT.EDU> Fecha: Miircoles 11 de Noviembre de 1998 23:24 p.m. Asunto: Re: Vir*ses, embedded systems, etc. {Quote hidden}>That's how assembly "strings" programming on the TI-8x series of >calculators begain. Someone found that if you send a TI-85 more >information than the user memory is capable of storing, it overflows into >some sort of program memory. I think the processor is a Z-80, but not >sure. > >Mark Moss >Amateur Radio Operator, Technician, and General Tinkerer > > >On Tue, 10 Nov 1998 14:14:24 +0100 Caisson <spamBeGonecaissonspamBeGoneTELEBYTE.NL> writes: >>> Van: John Payson <TakeThisOuTsupercatEraseMEspam_OUTCIRCAD.COM> >>> Aan: RemoveMEPICLISTTakeThisOuTMITVMA.MIT.EDU >>> Onderwerp: Re: Vir*ses, embedded systems, etc. >>> Datum: maandag 9 november 1998 18:46 >> >><Big snip> >> >>> ObTrivialQuestion: >>> I've heard that the Timex Databank watches use a 6805 derivative >>and >>that it is >>> in fact possible to feed code into those watches and execute it. >>Anyone >>know any- >>> thing about that? >> >>My god ! Virusses in your watch ! What will they think of next ... >> >>The newest excuse to be late for work : >>Sorry Boss, my watch was slow due to a Virus ... :-) >> >>Greetz, >> Rudy Wieser >> > >Mark Moss >Amateur Radio Operator, Technician, and General Tinkerer > >___________________________________________________________________ >You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. >Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html >or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]