[Info-vax] Creating an open source version of VMS, was: Re: OpenVMS Hobbyist Notification

[Simon Clubley]

On 2020-03-11, VAXman-  @SendSpamHere.ORG <VAXman- at SendSpamHere.ORG> wrote:
> In article <r4apju$1e3$6 at dont-email.me>, Simon Clubley <clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP> writes:
>>On 2020-03-10, VAXman-  @SendSpamHere.ORG <VAXman- at SendSpamHere.ORG> wrote:
>>> In article <r48odl$1pm$1 at dont-email.me>, Simon Clubley <clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP> writes:
>>>>
>>>>Supervisor mode, as implemented within VMS, is an hideous abomination
>>>>and most normal applications simply don't need it as it is currently
>>>>implemented.
>>>
>>> You've got a psychotic and unwarranted hard-on for supervisor mode.
>>>
>>
>>Supervisor mode, as implemented in VMS, is responsible for giving VMS
>>the dubious honour of having what is probably the longest undiscovered
>>vulnerability in the history of operating systems.
>>
>>(Unless anyone else knows of another operating system in active use
>>that has a vulnerability which lasted for at least 33 years until it
>>was finally discovered ?)
>
> There is/was NO VULNERABILITY with SUPERVISOR mode!  There was a vulnerality
> in *code* executing in said mode.  *Code* bug fixed.
>

The vulnerability is that shells running in supervisor mode have
access to the privileges of programs which they run (which would
be a hideous design decision in code written to today's security
standards.)

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Walking destinations on a map are further away than they appear.