20 Sep
2021
20 Sep
'21
1:12 p.m.
Douglas McIlroy <douglas.mcilroy(a)dartmouth.edu> wrote:
I had not heard this story. Can you elaborate, please? My impression from having
read the paper (a long time ago now) is that Ken did the experiment locally only.
Thanks,
Arnold
It's part
of my academic project to work on provable compiler security.
I tried to do it according to the "Reflections on Trusting Trust" by Ken
Thompson, not only to show a compiler Trojan horse but also to prove that
we can discover it.
Of course it can be discovered if you look for it. What was impressive about
the folks who got Thompson's compiler at PWB is that they found the horse
even though they weren't looking for it.