Principles of Operating Systems

CMSC 421 - Spring 2018

Quiz 1

Given in-class on February 20^th.

All questions refer to this video.

1. Briefly explain what is meant by SPU Isolation mode. Explain what SPU Isolation mode is useful for.
2. What privilege levels are present in the PS3 system software and which of these privilege modes can communicate with an isolated SPE?
3. Briefly explain how Geohot's RAM glitching exploit works, including what it allows an attacker to do.
4. Briefly describe the PS Jailbreak exploit, including what it allows you to do.
5. Briefly describe the vulnerability present in the isolated SPE loaders including what private data it allows an attacker to access.
6. How were the presenters in the video able to obtain the private signing keys of the PS3?

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