WARNING: Linux Intel Pentium Bug

ZombieMan (list@ZOMBIE.NWS.NET)
Fri, 07 Nov 1997 03:10:29 +0000

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--Boundary_(ID_E0dYoykPhibvRCZw+htbFg)
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This Program was distributed in the newsgroups and on irc so i thought i
would post it here....
(prog attached)

>From root@zombie.nws.net Fri Nov 7 03:05:43 1997
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 03:04:25 +0000
From: "root of all evil (ZombieMan)" <root@zombie.nws.net>
To: root@zombie
Subject: [Fwd: This code will lock up any P5 machine, even usermode Linux! (F0 0F C7 C8)]

[ Part 2: "Included Message" ]

Date: 6 Nov 1997 21:53:13 -0800
From: Tim Smith <tzs@halcyon.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy, comp.sys.intel
Subject: Re: This code will lock up any P5 machine, even usermode Linux! (F0 0F C7 C8)

[Added comp.sys.intel]

In article <3462ADCD.135B@noname.com>, <noname@noname.com> wrote:
> Check this out. If you execute F0 0F C7 C8 on a P5 it will lock the
>machine up. This is true for any operating system including usermode
>Linux. It's pretty cool. Basically, the opcodes are an invalid form of
>cmpxchg8b eax with a lock prefix. Has anyone seen this before? The
>problem doesn't show itself for the Pentium Pro or Pentium 2.

Cool. It also works (sic) from V86 mode, so if you want to play around, just
use DOS debug under whatever DOS emulator the OS you are using provides.
Anyone try it on a Pentium MMX?

--Tim Smith

>From root@zombie.nws.net Fri Nov 7 03:05:48 1997
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 03:04:41 +0000
From: "root of all evil (ZombieMan)" <root@zombie.nws.net>
To: root@zombie
Subject: [Fwd: This code will lock up any P5 machine, even usermode Linux! (F0 0F C7 C8)]

[ Part 2: "Included Message" ]

Date: Thu, 06 Nov 1997 21:57:33 -0800
From: noname@noname.com
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy
Subject: This code will lock up any P5 machine, even usermode Linux! (F0 0F C7 C8)

Hi,

Check this out. If you execute F0 0F C7 C8 on a P5 it will lock the
machine up. This is true for any operating system including usermode
Linux. It's pretty cool. Basically, the opcodes are an invalid form of
cmpxchg8b eax with a lock prefix. Has anyone seen this before? The
problem doesn't show itself for the Pentium Pro or Pentium 2.

>From root@zombie.nws.net Fri Nov 7 03:05:53 1997
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 1997 03:04:57 +0000
From: "root of all evil (ZombieMan)" <root@zombie.nws.net>
To: root@zombie
Subject: [Fwd: F0 0F C7 C8 looks worse than FPIV]

[ Part 2: "Included Message" ]

Date: 7 Nov 1997 07:17:44 GMT
From: Sam Trenholme <set-usenet-878887265@reality.samiam.org>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.advocacy, comp.sys.intel
Subject: F0 0F C7 C8 looks worse than FPIV

>Cool. It also works (sic) from V86 mode, so if you want to play around, just
>use DOS debug under whatever DOS emulator the OS you are using provides.
>Anyone try it on a Pentium MMX?

This bug looks far worse that FPIV. Intel will probably be forced to
undergo an expensive recall, although I wonder just how Intel plans on
getting the broken Pentium on my IBM thinkpad fixed. I like to let
co-workers access my machine when it is hooked up to the network at work,
and will have to now severely restrict any such access.

- Sam

--Boundary_(ID_E0dYoykPhibvRCZw+htbFg)
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--Boundary_(ID_E0dYoykPhibvRCZw+htbFg)--