Re: Modern hw-killing virus feasible

[Nick <nwp () REDSHIFT LEMON-COMPUTING COM>]

On Tue, Mar 06, 2001 at 08:31:59PM -0800, Ma Gores wrote:
> I'd like to ask about the possibility of a virus damaging a monitor....

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

I seem to recall reading that probing for clocks on certain video cards
with programmable clock generators is likely to hose them. I believe I
even did successfully kill an S3 Virge DX -based card by doing so once.
At least, if it wasn't that, it's a bit of a coincidence that it died at
that precise moment ;)

Anyhow, it was cheaper to replace it with a better card than to mess about
trying to fix it.

I know next-to-nothing about how these cards work, but I see no reason
why a virus under windoze couldn't identify a vulnerable card from the
registry rubbish, and follow up by reprogramming it.

And re. your other post, programs stored in nonvolatile memory (ROM, EPROM,
whatever) are called firmware where I come from.



Cheers,


Nick
--
Nick Phillips -- nwp () lemon-computing com
Avoid gunfire in the bathroom tonight.