Jump to content
The Inquirer-Home

China has invented 'a secure computer OS'

US bewildered that yellow peril is not using Windows
Wednesday, 13 May 2009, 12:33

THE GLORIOUS PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC of China claims to have invented the world's first completely unhackable operating system.

The project, known as Kylin, is supposed to keep the evil running dog imperialist pigs from stealing all those glorous technological secrets that have made China the centre of technological development. Or at least those that its workers have used their superior technological skill to half inch from foreign servers.

Oddly the Chinese have not made an announcement about their programming prowess. Instead the project was leaked to the US Congress by the spies that Kylin was supposed to keep out.

The Washington Times said that the operating system was proof that China's government is preparing to wage cyber warfare against the United States.

The key to the system is that the Chinese use hardened servers and use an operating system which is not Linux, UNIX or Windows. They reportedly also use a microchip that is not made by Intel or AMD and is hardened against external access by a hacker or automated malicious software.

America's entire cyber security plan apparently depends upon its military opponents using Wintel kit, with perhaps a few of the cleverer ones using Linux. µ

Share this:

Comments
Chinese hack HP

Ah, so the Chinese hacking attempts have paid off. They managed to secure a copy of OpenVMS!

posted by : Rich Wargo, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
More FUD

Ok so China that has no interest in the west other than becoming a economic super power is suddenly evil target number 1.
Is this not more along the lines of lets make the competition out to be the bad guy.

posted by : Jeri, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
To quote Dick Cheney.."So What!".

No one, especially the Chinese, care what Washington thinks any more.

My son just got back from China and his Mandarin is getting good...I suggest everyone else teach their children to speak Chinese.

posted by : moi, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Ah, so...

...they're running OpenVMS on Alpha chips!

posted by : simon b, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Warmongering

Who wants to bet that within ten years the US is at war with China, they have dragged us in to it, our propoganda says that all Commies are evil, theirs says that Capitalist pigs are evil....

posted by : krs360, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
C'mon China

Its just a matter of tym maybe 10yrs and Chinese will be official International language, start learning it, NOW!!

posted by : Taha Imran, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
lol

is it just me or is this kinda ironic...
"THE GLORIOUS PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC of China claims to have invented the world's first completely unhackable operating system"
but then further down...
"Instead the project was leaked to the US Congress by the spies that Kylin was supposed to keep out."
and then even further...
"The key to the system is that the Chinese use hardened servers and use an operating system which is not Linux, UNIX or Windows. They reportedly also use a microchip that is not made by Intel or AMD and is hardened against external access by a hacker or automated malicious software."so not only has there "unhackable operating system" been founded out, they have evn found out roughly an idea of where to look to get more info.. so i think this "unhackable operating system" will be hacked sooner than its possibly released.
just a guess anyways.

posted by : trikadoc, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
"Unhackable" - Nuts...

"America's entire cyber security plan apparently depends upon its military opponents using Wintel kit, with perhaps a few of the cleverer ones using Linux." Or so we would love them to believe....

posted by : Wandering, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Kylin

Kylin is pronounced "killin'" or "Killing" without the G on the end. Just in case you wondered.

Odd chance I'm sure.

posted by : Fudmaker, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
godson?

Would this be based on their mips compatible godson chip? I think 5-10 years ago, they were making a big deal out of it though it ran about half as fast as an x86. Now though, chips haven't doubling in speed like they used to so maybe it can compete?

Who can blame the chinese with all the spyware and viruses the feds have been pushing out through gmail and yahoo and with all the antivirus companies quietly removing definitions that might catch a fed virus.

posted by : mogwai, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
SKY NET

'nuff said

posted by : mike, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
taking the MIC

Any so-called "secrets/blueprints" the Chinese come across in US computer systems have more than likely been left there deliberately. It gives the MIC (Military industrial Complex) an excuse to raid US tax-dollars so they can come up with more advanced "public" systems ( Who cares if they'll work or not, the MIC continue to rake in the megabucks, at the average US citizen's expense.) BTW, exponentially-advanced weapon systems rarely have no paper/computer trails so there's no chance that the Chinese or Russians will get their hands on that kind of technology.

posted by : marcus wallett, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
WMDs in Iraq, computers in China

Anyone actually believe this bs?

posted by : mike, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Eh?

"WMDs in Iraq, computers in China
Anyone actually believe this bs?"

It's now a conspiracy that there's computers in China?

posted by : Ian, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
So the US is worried?

because they are not using Windows and so are immune from attack, So presumably that says that Windows is completely insecure.

posted by : Tom, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
you got that right Mike

I am sure Kylin is looking for Sarah Connor right now.

'nuff said.

posted by : raskolnikov, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Chinese OS

This report does not make any sense. The hacker world knows the Chinese are the most ardent fans of anything Windows related. They are usually in the first groups to get leaked copies of Windows Vista and Seven, then they modify them to encourage Chinese "pride". Microsoft has made huge investments in China also. They probably have the source code to XP and/or Vista. The government there wants to run a modified version to ensure the intelligence groups in the US do not have back doors. But a whole new OS from scratch. No way.

posted by : wguimb, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
as secure as Blu-ray?

Blu-ray + protection will not be cracked for 10 years!

- Richard Doherty

posted by : jeff e, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
NT6./7Ultimate/Sever2008 ARE ONLY Securable SYSTEMS....

Forget NT4 & 5- Xp stuff & living heck of Total Security Problems. Over Years Windows Addressed Problem Machines Can be Made InTo. NOW IS TIME FOR SACROELIMINATION OF Xp.

Don't Just Cringe, Its NOT That HardWare. Its UpGrade Route To Pure Nivarna. Heaven Blue-White in Secured Strenght at low Resource Cost.

Out With BAD Air, IN With Good. Convert Your Systems Over To 7 Today. Experience Unhampered Glory of being Tester. TesTis box lunch crowd.

posted by : vondrashek@msn.com, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
OpenVMS

OpenVMS Engineering has been closed, everybody laid off in the US by hp, that glorious technology company. Everything OpenVMS-related was outsourced to India. All development has been brought to a virtual standstill. Not that much has happened over the past 15 years anyway, no thanks to Compaq and hp. Actually, I am not sure if I should look forward to what OpenVMS 8.4 will be. I am afraid that we will see just more cr@p like unix/posix and java Kot in OpenVMS.

I doubt that the Chinese have stolen OpenVMS, or copied its design. But if they had, it would be better for OpenVMS than anything that hp has ever done. And that makes me feel sick.

posted by : Even the Chinese do not copy hpux, 13 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Oi Mehba China'l halp me get sorted!:

Re: Personal 68% discount. Tracking number # TR5208113...

I haven't the foggiest Hu, but is kylin me and me penis!

posted by : Pfizer, 14 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Sounds familiar...

I posted some time ago that the only truly unhackable system is one that has it's own unique and distinct operating system and hardware. Lock down/encrypt the OS and the file system, and keep the source files locked away with all other government secrets.

I said that was necessary in response to government systems getting hacked. It's easy enough to do as long as no one uses Windows, Mac or Linux as a template.

I'm actually very surprised that the chinese paid attention to my suggestion first.

Oh well...meh.

posted by : BruceLD, 14 May 2009 Complain about this comment
China, world super power. USA, world superwarmongerer, in debt, crippled by corruption.

China is going from strength to strength. USA is blowing so much money on wars, defence, and failing to keep a real eye on their major problem.

Enron cost the USA more than a war. Financial Fraud.

Banking fraud has cost it trillions, more than a world war. Financial Fraud.

The USA's biggest problem is the Financial Fraud, corrupt politicians who will not monitor or investigate it, and corrupt FBI and CIA who will not stop it either.

USA's biggest problem is the greed of the small number of ruthless people at the top. It's a young nation, like Rome, and this will be it's undoing, unless it learns to police the elite and stop taking bribes all the time.

posted by : interested_party, 14 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Just wondering...

So, how long until we get Kylin XP on the shelves?

posted by : Daniel Evans, 14 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Unhackable...

Bit of a bold claim...

I was under the impression nothing is unhackable unless it is either a) not connected to a network with no server software running, or b} turned off or c) a completly closed system where the original programmers and developers all get shot after making it which is probably the case here :D.

you can make a system that is improbable to be hacked but not impossible.

You just wait until the software gets leaked or at the very least some of the system specs then it will be hacked ^^.

Unless it a complete secret, but then what's the point in that? what are they going to do with it ^^.

posted by : horsemeat, 14 May 2009 Complain about this comment
So what

So,, now they can surf porn and now worry about getting hacked?
Being vaguely familiar with the fact that our military has many freaky network protocols, in house OSes, and only the idiots like congressmen, senators and Palin use windows/public technology - I'm not worried nearly as much about our mil/tech security against China, as I am about the fools that put and keep us in financial debt to them.

posted by : Vinster, 14 May 2009 Complain about this comment
I am sure it was ripped off

I am sure it was ripped off.

All we need to do is find the real person who made the OS. I am sure he knows how to hack it.

When is the last time Chine really really really invented something?

I am sure they invented the idea of putting lead in everything and cancer causing additives in milk/chocolate/baby fomula.

OK OK OK they do invent an odd gizmo that doesn't last too long or is cheap and flimsy. And they do invent their share of Hacking devices.

One things for sure, they are pretty intent on steeling/piracy. And killing babies (with their so called safe baby formula).

So did they invent an OS?

I highly doubt it.

I got an Idea, maybe is just a re-hashed version of DOS. Not netework support == unhackable....

posted by : Sheldon Irving, 14 May 2009 Complain about this comment
BS

No computer system is unhackable. Hasen't anyone learned that by now?

posted by : BS, 14 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Possible but not for general purpose

I imagine it is possible to create a system that is unhackable from a remote connection if the hardware, software and network are properly designed and controlled from the beginning. Part of what makes general purpose computers so hackable is that they are designed to be open and permissive (allow you to do whatever you want to your computer) and connect to open and permissive networks.

posted by : Tavi, 14 May 2009 Complain about this comment
adminozavr

All Human world moves in one direction of total self-destruction, we are in the very same boat, including the North American and the Mandarin civilizations. There are no news that are surprizing anymore.
Nothing, that was, is and would be created by us is unhackable. Even I know this for sure :)
The rest is a common, useless, and chaotic effort to describe what was going on by itself for billions or more/less? of years, with or without us.

posted by : TUROK, 15 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Torrent?

So when can we expect to see Kylin_Full_WinAll_w_Emulator.torrent files?

posted by : beverins, 15 May 2009 Complain about this comment
I don't think so ...

The Washington Post say that China is preparing to wage cyber warfare against the USA!!!! What a bunch of fruit-loops!
China has so much money invested in the US, it would be like the landlord shooting the tenant when they called to pay the rent.

posted by : BobK, 15 May 2009 Complain about this comment
to Sheldon

You are one of the most uninformed, self-centric person I have ever come across. Lead contamination in chocolate is not confined to China produced chocolate. I believe you are refering to the deliberate addition of melamine to milk.

Just look back to recent history with the US and European companies and governments poisoning their own people and others. A few words to search for in google, Bhopal, ground water poisoning, dioxin, asbestos, arsenic, radioactive, the list goes on.

As for the Chinese not inventing anything, you really need to look harder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chinese_inventions

Educate yourself.

Rankin CW, Nriagu JO, Aggarwal JK, Arowolo TA, Adebayo K, Flegal AR. (2005) Lead contamination in cocoa and cocoa products: isotopic evidence of global contamination. Environmental Health Perspectives Oct;113(10):1344-8

posted by : CW, 15 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Security by obscurity..

It'll be almost impenetrable to hacker attacks for a little while, until people find out what it is. The thing is on a security timebomb.

That said, cyber warfare is decidedly better for people than regular warfare.

posted by : Lightnix, 15 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Unhackable does not mean perfectly secure

The major reason a computer system cannot be made completely unhackable (assuming proper design and quality control) is because an attacker can use a form of attack (ex. remotely scanning the electronic pulses from key clicks coming from a keyboard) not being defended against, that being said, it is possible, given the right circumstances, for engineers, mathematicians and computer scientists to design systems that are completely unhackable from a specific attack (such as remote access over a network) if they are given full control of design from the hardware, through all the protocols all the way up to what software is allowed to run. In this case unhackable does not mean perfectly secure, it means that an attacker would have to actually brute force defeat all of the defenses (and be detected) rather than bypass them 'hack them' due to some flaw.

posted by : Tavi, 15 May 2009 Complain about this comment
why don't they download it and have a look?

http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kylin.org.cn%2F&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&history_state0=

posted by : Stephen, 15 May 2009 Complain about this comment
USA New Opium Addicts

It seems that the USA is now the opium addicts that China was 150 years ago. As EconoChristian.com shows, the US' trade deficit with China is large, and Americans are consuming more cheap junk just like the Chinese were 150 years ago from the british east india company. It's the US' turn to be addicted to cheap junk.

posted by : Jason, 17 May 2009 Complain about this comment
...but

The OS is non hackable, but it is already available for sale for $1.99 on the street of Shangai, soon to be available on Ebay. The good news is that it seems to work. The bad news is that it doesnt do much as you can see from the screen capture

china% help
help not available
china% dir
dir not available
china% ls
ls not available
china% catalog
catalog not available
china% ?
? not available
china% china
china not available
china% mao
mao not available

posted by : dave, 17 May 2009 Complain about this comment
handy UK-- US translation

"half inch" is cockney rhyming slang for "pinch," or steal. Reporting from Europe, this is Captain Obvious, signing off.

posted by : Toasty, 17 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Secure OS?

"Ah, so the Chinese hacking attempts have paid off. They managed to secure a copy of OpenVMS!"

Nahh -- they jacked a copy of closed MVS instead.

posted by : JCL, 19 May 2009 Complain about this comment
freebsd!

nothing new really, kylin is based off of freebsd http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylin

posted by : john, 20 May 2009 Complain about this comment
Advertisement
Subscribe to the INQ Newsletter
Sign-up for the INQBot weekly newsletter
Click here to sign up Existing user
Advertisement
INQ Poll

Nvidia Fermi

Will graphics cards built with Nvidia's Fermi GPUs be a hit?