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Article #720

The Next Pearl Harbor: We don't audit our chips

#720
From: Christopher_C_Lapp
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 17:11
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I was at a cocktail party with a number of computer types who work
clandestinely for foreign governments.  We got on the topic of silicon
compilers, and how one of these computer types invented a virus that would
infect silicon compilers, and add extra circuitry to each IC developed with
them.  The circuitry was a AM transistor radio that when it received a 
signal of the proper duraton would cause the chip to fail.  It seems to
me a "Pearl Harbor" in the making, what with the number of Unix based
silicon compilers on the market, and all of them hooked up to networks.
I'd hate to see all that expensive military hardware fail because we
don't audit our chips and chipmaking software for this sort of thing.
Any comments?
Chris
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Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!Christopher_C_Lapp
From: Christopher_C_Lapp@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: The Next Pearl Harbor: We don't audit our chips
Message-ID: <64066@cup.portal.com>
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 10:11:28 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Distribution: usa
Lines: 12