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    :(){ :|:& };: maybe? Commented Feb 26, 2013 at 21:27
  • @carleeto Ok, could you explain that one to rest of us? Commented Feb 26, 2013 at 22:30
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    @hydroparadise It's called a "forkbomb". :() defines a function called : with the body of :|:&, meaning "run : and also run : in the background". ; ends the function definition, and : calls your new function, which endlessly spawns new versions of itself until you either hit process limits or the system grinds to a halt. It's a command that effectively freezes any system without good process limits set. Don't try this at home. Commented Feb 26, 2013 at 22:37
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    @Kevin You mean writing a C program, compiling it, and installing it as a driver, all in a single command line? A working example would be great. Commented Feb 26, 2013 at 23:13
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    A forkbomb does not necessarily causes a kernel panic. OTOH, one thing that may do that is to write (as root) is to, say, dd if=/dev/urandom of=/dev/mem (depending on your kernel version, you may not have /dev/kmem). But I wouldn't use the system after that. :) Commented Feb 27, 2013 at 5:08