Re: Modern hw-killing virus feasible

[Ma Gores <gores () iname com>]

I'd like to ask about the possibility of a virus damaging a monitor....

Reading from page 228 of the SuSe book that came with retail 6.4 (US
edition)...  "Unless you have in-depth knowledge... nothing should be
changed in the modelines, since this could cause severe damage to your
monitor."

Isn't there a *possibility* that someone could change the modelines, via a
Linux virus, that would "cause severe damage to your monitor".

(Granted, currently Linux viruses are far less common than viruses for
other platforms, but I expect we will see more as time goes on. <sigh>)


Also... There has been a running thread in the alt.comp.virus.source.code
newsgroup regarding the topic of "Can a Virus Damage Hardware".  The
general consensus seems to be that it may be possible, but it hasn't been
done yet.

-------
Magores
"At the risk of being offensive, I think you need a little soap." -- David
Gemmel


At 11:34 PM 3/5/2001 +0100, you wrote:
>  Hi!
>
>  Current DVD-regioning system provides *very* easy possibility for
>  virus to render hardware unusable. Current DVD-roms allow setting
>  DVD region for limited number of times.
>
>  Imagine virus, that switches DVD between japan-region and asia-region
>  as many times as it can. It would leave DVD locked either to japan or
>  asia, effectively making it unusable for european/us citizen.
>
>  Long time ago, rumors went that it is possible to kill harddrive by
>  software. Then, old monitors could be damaged by software by
>  missprograming them (but damage would take lot of time). Now DVDs
>  provide effective way for software making them unusable. Pretty sad.
>
>                                                                Pavel
>
> --
> I'm pavel () ucw cz. "In my country we have almost anarchy and I don't care."
> Panos Katsaloulis describing me w.r.t. patents at discuss () linmodems org