[bugs #9003] Runtime checks before jumping into bootstrapped code

[anonymous]

This mail is an automated notification from the bugs tracker
 of the project: GNU GRUB.




/**************************************************************************/
[bugs #9003] Full Item Snapshot:

URL: <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?func=detailitem&item_id=9003>
Project: GNU GRUB
Submitted by: 0
On: Wed 05/19/04 at 00:08

Category:  None
Severity:  Major
Priority:  5 - Normal
Item Group:  None
Resolution:  None
Assigned to:  None
Originator Name:  KB Sriram
Originator Email:  address@hidden
Status:  Open
Release:  0.94
Reproducibility:  Every Time
Planned Release:  


Summary:  Runtime checks before jumping into bootstrapped code

Original Submission:  I'd like to suggest that GRUB do a small sanity check at
runtime prior to loading important sectors and jumping into
them. Specifically, check for magic values when loading the
first sector of stage 1.5 or stage 2, and also when loading
the remaining sectors.

This will reduce the chances of GRUB jumping into unknown
code when installation mistakes or other problems cause it
to load random data. e.g. BIOS bugs passing in the wrong
drive making it load sectors from the wrong place, etc.

Would like to offer the following patch to do it, though
I'm afraid it's ugly and shortens an existing error message
in order to squeeze one of the checks into the first
sector.

If it helps, be happy to also submit a patch to update the
documentation about the error messages.

Regards,
-kb





File Attachments
-------------------

-------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed 05/19/04 at 00:08  Name: grub-sanity-check.patch  Size: 2KB   By: None
Diffs against grub-0..94 to perform a few runtime checks
http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/download.php?item_id=9003&amp;item_file_id=1321






For detailed info, follow this link:
<http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?func=detailitem&item_id=9003>

_______________________________________________
  Message sent via/by Savannah
  http://savannah.gnu.org/