0day Exploit Using NSF Files

You thought .nsf files are just harmless NES music files and nothing bad could ever come from them? Well, think again. Security researcher Chris Evans has just revealed a zeroday exploit on Linux involving the use of specially crafted .nsfs.

The actual vulnerability is found in an old version of gstreamer which is still widely being used. What's happening is that the internal emulator that is used to execute the 6502 code contained in the .nsf doesn't verify the ROM size, which, in conjunction with the use of bankswitching, can lead to the emulator breaking out of its virtual memory and start writing to the heap.

Meanwhile, Battleofthebits user b00daw has found that the problematic gstreamer code is currently used by the Jabber/XMPP client Gajim, which means the vulnerability can possibly be exploited on non-Linux systems as well.

Long story short, if you still have gstreamer plugins from the 0.10 release running somewhere, you might want to run an update.

[demo] VCS Demos from Silly Venture

So last weekend the mightiest of all Atari demoparties took place once again in Gdańsk, Poland. And y'all probably know what that means: Lot's of fresh Atari demos!

Well, when it comes to Atari machines, the 2600 (aka VCS) holds a special place in my heart. It's not just about those growly, detuned TIA sounds. The really fascinating thing about the 2600 is that allows programmers access to the hardware in a much more direct way than almost any other platform out there. Which, in conjunction with the otherwise extremely limited specs, often leads to very unique stylistic choices, such as incorporating very blocky, rough graphics with very intricate colour schemes.

Ok, enough blabla, let's look at the VCS demos from Silly Venture 2k16.

Mr. Caterpillar and the Tale of the Turquoise Twisters by Genesis Project

Shadow and Mermaid - when these two get together, the result is rarely ever disappointing. So here's their latest prod: Simple, but awwww... so cute! Look at that little caterpillar! And hey, it all fits into an 8k ROM. 3rd place in the VCS compo.


download/discuss

rotor by Flush

A bit rough around the edges, but hey: That music sounds pretty damn good for VCS - great to see TIAtracker being put to good use. Also, props for releasing the source. 2nd place in the compo.

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Chiphead by altair

Ziphead on Atari VCS? U kiddin me mate? That's one impressive feat. It could have benefitted from some more horses, though ;) Anyway, well deserved first place in the compo.


download/discuss

TMDC19 Announced

For the 19th time, the legendary Text Mode Demo Contest is awaiting your submissions. Deadline is December 12th, as usual. There were some rule changes from last year, so make sure you check those before you start to hack away.

The above invite is available for download here.

Stella at 20 - An Atari 2600 Retrospective

On the 20th birthday of the Atari 2600 VCS, AtariAge member Glenn Saunders gathered a group of Atari legends to celebrate the occasion. He filmed the event, thereby creating the "Stella at 20" documentary.

Previously only available on VHS, the original footage comprises nearly 14 hours worth of material, including interviews with Nolan Bushnell (Atari founder), Al Acorn (Atari co-founder), Joe Decuir, Steve Mayer, Ron Milner (2600 designers), David Crane (Pitfall, Freeway), Carol Shaw (River Raid), Al Miller, Larry Kaplan (Activision co-founders), and many more.

Curtesey of Glenn Saunders, the entire 14 hours of this fantastic piece of computing history are now available on Archive.org.

[demo] kaliskop by Kuemmel

Neat 256 byte MS-DOS demo by Kuemmel, based on an algorithm proposed by fractal researcher Kali. Gotta love that crazy music, too! The prod scored 4th place in the combined demo compo at Demosplash.

download/discuss

[album] Goto80 - 80864

Staying on the topic of Commodore for a bit... so what happens if a C64 and an 808 drum machine meet in the hands of one of the most creative chiptuners of all time? Well, this happens:



The vinyl is almost sold out, so you better be quick if you want one.

[album] F13 by lpower

Ha, I had no idea that lpower is still around! But here he is, back on Pterodactyl Squad with a beast of an eerie game soundtrack. Classic horrorchip at it's best, in the spirit of legendary soundtracks such as the one from Friday the 13th, or the Castlevania series.

The game itself is to be released next year, so for now I suggest you grab the full download and additional artwork from the release page at PTE. There's also a limited edition cassette release available through lpower's bandcamp.

[demo] Total by Extend

Another stunning masterpiece from X Party. Due to an organizational screw-up, this ended up ranking 18th. No doubt it should actually have ended up in the top three. It's my favourite from the party, in any case. While lft's Lunatic wins in terms of design, this one just kills the show with it's fresh ideas and unique style. Also, gotta love that skull pic.

download/discuss

[album] Bud Melvin - Shaking Like Milk

Breaking news: Banjo-wielding chiptune caballero Bud Melvin takes on The Cure! These tracks were created for a liveset for the recent Pulsewave edition. He should work on that British accent though... just kidding, it's a great tribute that stays very faithful to the originals.

full album download

[demo] Lunatico by lft

Fantastic new C64 demo by the legendary lft, which took the 2nd place at X Party. It's not just that the graphics, music, and effects are all top notch - I have rarely ever seen such a coherently styled production on the C64. And yes, all code, graphics, and music in this double-disk demo are made by a single person.

download/discuss