Ancient DOS bug gets squashed

What can we say about you, DOS? You've rocked the personal computer world and changed the way we all feel about white on black console screens. Your retirement is a well deserved one and... wait, you're getting a patch? Amazingly, Microsoft is fixing a bug that has existed in the Windows Virtual DOS Machine (VDM) subsystem since it was added to Windows NT way back in the simple days of 1993, when flannels were everywhere and 32 bits were more than we knew what to do with. Google engineer Tavis Ormandy found the exploit a few weeks ago, which grants an attacker the ability to run code in kernel mode, and a critical update has been issued to fix this most aged of vulnerabilities. Perhaps now, DOS, your work is finally done.

[Stephers Posted Feb 5th 2010 11:35AM]

It is unfortunate that dos is still used and there is no true substitute. Bios flash applications, hard disk cloning/partition software, and many other utilities in the tech world are made to run in dos only. (Yes I know there are windows counterparts but what do you do when you can't boot into windows). Dos needs to be dropped and switched to the more capable linux shell.

[The MAZZTer Posted Feb 5th 2010 12:43PM]

That's not an "ancient DOS bug". That's a modern Windows bug. NTVDM doesn't share any code with DOS, it's a DOS emulator for Windows.

[Ericloewe Posted Feb 5th 2010 4:36PM]

@The MAZZTer
I'm sure they used DOS code in there. No point in reinventing the wheel. Although I must say DOS is more of a square wheel than a round wheel...

[INsano Posted Feb 5th 2010 3:39PM]

I live in Portland--flannels are *still* everywhere.

[aikiwolfie Posted Feb 5th 2010 5:11PM]

Maybe that's why DOS was more stable than Windows 7 is today :op

[chamcham Posted Feb 5th 2010 11:26PM]

That bug looks like my friend's mom on a bad hair day.... :-o

[demon Posted Feb 6th 2010 3:56PM]

Actually the mentioned Google engineer discovered the issue mid-last year, but didn't release it until just a couple weeks ago, waiting for Microsoft to release a fix. They had acknowledged his report at the time, but (apparently) didn't really pursue it very much until he released it to the public.

[SinoPeach Posted Feb 8th 2010 7:56AM]

"White on Black"
Mr Stevens you sound quite young. Most DOS years were spent with "Green on Black".

[poindexterc Posted Feb 12th 2010 7:39AM]

really innovative stuff microsoft