‘Intel Core 2’ – MARC— This isn’t good.This memo comes from the OpenBSD founder Theo de Raadt.
Note that some errata like AI65, AI79, AI43, AI39, AI90, AI99 scare the hell out of us. Some of these are things that cannot be fixed in running code, and some are things that every operating system will do until about mid-2008, because that is how the MMU has always been managed on all generations of Intel/AMD/whoeverelse hardware. Now Intel is telling people to manage the MMU’s TLB flushes in a new and different way. Yet even if we do so, some of the errata listed are unaffected by doing so. As I said before, hiding in this list are 20-30 bugs that cannot be worked around by operating systems, and will be potentially exploitable. I would bet a lot of money that at least 2-3 of them are. For instance, AI90 is exploitable on some operating systems (but not OpenBSD running default binaries). At this time, I cannot recommend purchase of any machines based on the Intel Core 2 until these issues are dealt with (which I suspect will take more than a year). Intel must be come more transparent. (While here, I would like to say that AMD is becoming less helpful day by day towards open source operating systems too, perhaps because their serious errata lists are growing rapidly too).
What???
So, even if I could understand what the hell he’s talking about, I guess every single Core 2-equipped computer in the wild must either be a zombie or will be taken over by next Thursday.
Or is the author the sole geek to know all this?
I guess god doesn’t no it all…
Now this is a real technology thread. I can’t even make an iPhone crack in it. Well done, JCD.
#1 – What the author is (poorly) saying is that there are flaws in the current retail line of Intel processors that cannot be resolved by any means other than moving to the next generation of processors. Further, the author is saying that the flaws are so bad that he cannot recommend buying the processor, which throws quite a curveball because the Intel Core 2 Duo line is the only processor of note in the retail market these days.
What to make of it? That you need to keep your machines secure. Yea, I know, that’s a “no shit” statement, but it’s important to understand that viruses can exploit more than just software, and by exploiting hardware can do much more damage.
Also, while not an iPhone crack, it is odd that de Raadt is the one making this statement when Apple (with OS X, which was built off of OpenBSD) got in bed with Intel by moving to the Core Duo line.
#6. pedro, learn to read!
Linus Torvalds does not seem particularly concerned about it.
Oh come on!
You should all know that Theo is a bunch of hot air. Sure there are problems, just as there are with AMD. Why go after Intel? Not because they are really more serious issues. This is just his periodic dick-swinging session. I find it hard to believe that JCD doesn’t already know this.
This guy (yes, I know he’s the supreme overlord of OpenBSD, but he’s still a just a guy) is a bad as Chuck Schumer and his weekly Sunday television appearances decrying some (usually completely insignificant) public outrage.
Why people give Theo press is beyond me.
#10 #7 Do I have to copy and paste from the text?
Yes, please.
#10 – Admit it: You have no clue what you’re talking about.
#13 and from that quote you got this(?)
only openbsd with the original binaries is safe to the bugs”
I guess the stakes are too high in the arms race to bother with trivialities like fp instruction coherency or memory integrity.
Oh my god!!!
Intel CPUs have errors!!!
Why I’d never had guessed…
Oh great, I can just hear the mac groupies say, “It’s not OSX’s fault that it has become insecure! It’s Intel’s fault!”
Yeah, at least those IBM power PC were pristine and error free…
Hmmmm… maybe that’s why Microsoft is heading PowerPC on the console department…
What’s the point in declaring Core 2 chips hopelessly flawed after they’re becoming state-of-the-art? I grok that the guy’s supposed to be a big cheese in programming, but that doesn’t mean he has common sense.
To expand on #8 – since Torvald thinks the “problems” are insignificant – if you want to read his opinion:
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=7897
btw – pedro, that’s a statement of attainder. Can’t you progress beyond a high school level of discussion?
Or should I say, “since you probably haven’t gotten out of high school, yet – I expect you can do no better”. Easy to construct. Meaningless.