Re: getting around Ken Thompson's compiler Trojan

From: Alan J Rosenthal (flaps@dgp.toronto.edu)
Date: 01/27/03

  • Next message: Barry Margolin: "Re: getting around Ken Thompson's compiler Trojan" 
    From: flaps@dgp.toronto.edu (Alan J Rosenthal)
Date: 27 Jan 2003 22:24:11 GMT

    If you know the "is this the compiler" algorithm, you can come up with a
    transformation on the compiler source code which fools it. It needn't be as
    sophisticated as a general-purpose obfuscator.

    If you _don't_ know the "is this the compiler" algorithm, you _can't_ come
    up with a transformation on the compiler source code which is guaranteed to
    fool it, said transformation being your obfuscator or any other algorithm
    or hand-implemented tweak. 

    -- 
very frequently asked questions at
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/faqs/computer-security/most-common-qs

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