[hercules-os380] extreme anti-virus

[[e-mail] [hercules-os380]]

I was wondering how to construct a computer
from the ground up that had 0% chance of
any malware on it.

Even if everything is open source, and even
if you read all that code, if you use a modern
computer you could have a BIOS with
malware in it that is infecting every hard disk
you plug in. And you can't trust the BIOS to
read the contents of the hard disk because
it could be reporting infected sectors as
empty.

I was thinking we need to rerun the history of
computers, starting with trustable switches,
to ensure that at no point was any rogue
executable code given a chance to run.

BFN. Paul.

[[e-mail] [hercules-os380]]

An interesting idea. How do you define a trusted switch?

I was referring to code being entered via
physical on/off switches. Or maybe using
punched cards. Something you can
actually see and have total confidence in.

BFN. Paul.

[[e-mail] [hercules-os380]]

Have you read this:-
http://wiki.c2.com/?TheKenThompsonHack http://wiki.c2.com/?TheKenThompsonHack

Thanks for the link. That has what I'm looking for:

The only way you're going to get a clean compiler executable now is to build your computer yourself out of TTL logic you salvage from some museum somewhere, then code up a set of basic binary tools sufficient to assemble assembler. Then bootstrap from the source of all the modern tools.
This actually sounds like a worthy project until you realize that the only person who could possibly trust your clean compiler executable is you.


BFN. Paul.

[Mike Schwab [e-mail] [hercules-os380]]

The only way to be certain is to use a router that blocks all traffic
that you don't expect to be sent, I. E. every single ping.

Post by ***@yahoo.com.au [hercules-os380]

Have you read this:-
http://wiki.c2.com/?TheKenThompsonHack http://wiki.c2.com/?TheKenThompsonHack

The only way you're going to get a clean compiler executable now is to build your computer yourself out of TTL logic you salvage from some museum somewhere, then code up a set of basic binary tools sufficient to assemble assembler. Then bootstrap from the source of all the modern tools.
This actually sounds like a worthy project until you realize that the only person who could possibly trust your clean compiler executable is you.
BFN. Paul.
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[[e-mail] [hercules-os380]]

(possible double-post due to Yahoo)

Post by ***@yahoo.com.au [hercules-os380]
physical on/off switches. Or maybe using
punched cards. Something you can
actually see and have total confidence in.

People doing ground-up anti-virus could
inspect a set of cards in the same way that
the 1kg weight in France is inspected:

http://www.colorsmagazine.com/stories/magazine/85/story/the-original-kilogram

BFN. Paul.

[[e-mail] [hercules-os380]]

Post by ***@yahoo.com.au [hercules-os380]
physical on/off switches. Or maybe using
punched cards. Something you can
actually see and have total confidence in.

People doing ground-up anti-virus could
inspect a set of cards in the same way that
the 1kg weight in France is inspected:

http://www.colorsmagazine.com/stories/magazine/85/story/the-original-kilogram

BFN. Paul.