Software running on seemingly bulletproof OpenVMS systems tends to be rather business critical – the sort of code you deploy and keep running forever – so updates that may disrupt operations are treated with utmost care by administrators. Introduced to the world as VMS in 1977, OpenVMS today still powers a good chunk of billing systems, stock exchanges, semiconductor factories, and similar setups. It is touted as a reliable and secure OS for mission-critical applications.
By the way, the "open" part refers to its support of open standards, such as POSIX; its source code is closed, although copies of the listings can, apparently, be purchased.
People running VSI's OpenVMS V8.4-2L1 or V8.4-2L2 on Alpha hardware should contact VSI for patches to kill the exploitable bug. VSI is a company that was formed in Massachusetts, USA, to port OpenVMS to modern x86-64 processors in a joint agreement with HPE, and it includes ex-DEC engineers and other folks from the OpenVMS world.
All Rights Reserved | Salem Automation Incorporated
3909 Westpoint Blvd. Suite C Winston-Salem, NC 27103