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Deep in the bowls of x86
Work has been going slow on the next installment of my retro-malware article. Right now, I've got an itoa function written in assembly, but real life has been kinda kicking my ass and I'm not making much headway in writing as I would like. As of right now, I know exactly what I need to write and code, but making the code flow.
Bleh. It doesn't help right now I'm travelling cross-country.
Working on Part 2 of real mode programming
I'm absolutely stocked with the response the first bit of original content I've written for SN has gotten over 80 comments (even if a fair number are my own). It's very good motivation to keep going with it, and I've started working on outlining and planning the next section which I think will cover the following.
- The Stack
- SI/DS registers
- Terminate and Stay Resident
- (Maybe) DOS memory layout
I'm targetting ~2000 words in total, not counting the prelude section of the article. This will serve as a prelude to looking at the DOS memory map as a whole as well as get our first taste of how segmentation and relocation work under DOS since we will have to manage CS/DS/SS when we're in TSR mode. I'm currently writing out some demo code but its been fairly slow going since I got tripped up by the fact a pointer is 2 bytes (16-bit), and a lack of free time until this weekend. I'm hoping to have the code half of this cranked out by Friday to write up over the weekend.
I've decided for the time being to continue using NASM. While NASM is not a period specific assembler, its very easy to use, free software and has excellent documentation, and its the only assembler that can target x86_16 from Win64 and Linux64 that actually works. I wouldn't mind using the OpenWatcom assembler except its essentially undocumented. If I was going for period specific, I would need a 16-bit copy of LINK.EXE and MASM. Both are in the Windows DDK but extremely unfriendly to setup, or use Turbo Assembler and code in VirtualBox (pass; I like Notepad++ on Windows).
I've had some hangups on figuring out where to go beyond the basics of TSR programming. Unfortunately, non-IP based stuff appears to have dropped off the face of the internet. LANMAN client on Microsoft's FTP is completely MIA, and I can't find a freeware stack available anywhere that supports anything !TCP/IP. I could write something using Layer 2 protocols, but even then I'm kinda "eh" since that really doesn't go into the history of early networking or stuff. As best I can tell, at least for IPX, the actual Novell NetWare client was TSR, but its essentially non-existent. LANMAN in theory is free on Microsoft's FTP, but no developer documentation that I can find.
One idea I had though was perhaps reviving my ham radio stuff, and plugging the whole thing into AX.25. KA9Q for DOS is open source and implements KISS, and I can emulate another AX.25 host over the serial port (or go full turkey, and plug the other side into an actual radip using Linux as a glorified BNC). That would get me a period specific way of getting the data out of a target system in a targetting attack. (obviously, real NSA would use something beside amauter radio bands, but the concept exists. You could easily hide a micro-radio in a PC case wired up to an ISA slot or something, using the case itself as an antenna).
Q about math writing on SN
I've been kicking around a few mathematical ideas for a number of years and think I'd like to throw them out there similar to how NCommander is planning his development of a keylogger. Unfortunately, my current writing is very symbol heavy, though it mostly relies on normal calculus and algebra symbols. I suppose I could dump it on arxiv.org, though that has visibility to the entire math world, and their expectations are probably going to be higher than the relatively informal mess I'm planning with this project.
Anyway, to outline, way back when (back in the late 90s), I had this hare-brained idea that since I was studying some graduate level algebra at the time, adding a differential to the polynomial-style algebras I was studying would be neat. I soon realized in a naive way that I had a collection of differential equations of a complexity between what are termed "special functions", solutions of very special equations with unusual or even unique characteristics and general functions which are claims made about fairly arbitrary systems with modest restrictions on the equations and/or solutions. I thought at the time, that an intermediate system might have some of the interesting math of the special functions but with a much broader application.
I have off and on over the years read and explored this idea, slowly expanding my understanding of this subject and a number of related topics.
It has turned out to be a huge rabbit hole with all sorts of weird influences from a variety of fields of mathematics such as complex analysis, dynamical systems, algebra, geometry, number theory, and even analog computing. While I would make an attempt to make this material understandable, it would be going to some really esoteric destinations, I think. But I would try to write so that the ideas could be accessible to a knowledgeable layman who has kept up with the series.
Also, if you'd be interested in this, then please speak up.
Troll Hall of Fame 16.08
Here we go again. AC is excluded of course because he cheats by having tens of thousands of people do his posting for him.
By count: Nick Trolls %Troll Ethanol-fueled56517% Runaway19563097% jmorris23712% The Mighty Buzzard21910% aristarchus2179% frojack1503% Hairyfeet1499% zugedneb9025% khallow876% VLM802% By percent: Nick Trolls %Troll zugedneb9025% Ethanol-fueled56517% Khyber2015% jmorris23712% The Mighty Buzzard21910% jasassin3010% aristarchus2179% Hairyfeet1499% TLA148% Runaway19563097%
A tip of the hat to the returning champions and a hearty welcome aboard to the newcomers.
Ex-host Sues Fox News, Ailes & Top Executives
Politico reports that Andrea Tantaros, former co-host of the Fox News Channel news and talk shows The Five and Outnumbered , has filed a lawsuit (PDF) against the network, several of its executives, and former chair and CEO Roger Ailes, who resigned last month.
Besides the company and Ailes, the suit names as defendants
- Dianne Brandi, executive vice-president of legal and business affairs;
- Suzanne Scott, who earlier this month became executive vice-president of programming and development after working as senior vice-president of programming and development since 2009;
- Irena Briganti, the executive vice-president of corporate communicationsl; and
- William Shine, who earlier this month became co-president of the network.
The suit alleges sexual harassment by Ailes, claiming that
[...] his actions were condoned by his most senior lieutenants, who engaged in a concerted effort to silence Tantaros by threats, humiliation, and retaliation.
Ailes has previously denied similar accusations; a representative of the network declined to comment.
Utahn presidential candidate to appear on Utahn ballot
The House Republican Conference, in a statement, said McMullin no longer worked there, effective Monday [8 August] morning.
other coverage:
I Have a Contract
I've been tasked to modify some Mac OS X printing software. The client says "There is some cruft that has built up so don't be surprised if you find some code that's not used."
I figured it was going to be a rat's nest but it all looks quite reasonable.
It's not going to be a big job. Possibly I'll be able to buy a MacBook Pro when I'm done, but I'm not sure it's even that big a job.
Really what I want is a happy client, someone who can provide a positive reference to other potential clients.
Was the Republican Party hacked?
A Web site called DC Leaks has published what it calls "electronic letters of Republican party employees." Politico has a story about it. The site appears to be linked to "Guccifer 2.0", who obtained Democratic Party e-mails and turned them over to Wikileaks.
simple-init Bug Fix For Aug 2016
A problematic bug in simple-init can be resolved by eliminating one variable. Specifically, change:-
$wait=60*60*24;
while($active&& $running) {
(undef,$wait)=select(undef,undef,undef,$wait);
}
to:-
while($active&& $running) {
select(undef,undef,undef,60*60*24);
}
or suchlike. This change eliminates the case where the variable is zero and a busy wait on select() ensues.
Minor bugs remain. Regardless, simple-init is now suitable for deployment on systems which do not require suspend.
S. Australian guilty on tanning charges
ABC News has the story of the first Australian convicted under laws banning commercial solaria (tanning studios). The man, who offered a guilty plea "to two counts of offering and providing cosmetic tanning for a fee to the public," must pay A$4200 in fines, the costs of prosecution, and additional penalties.
