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Malicious Distributed Computing
Jeremy Erwin writes "In this whitepaper, Brandon Wiley suggests a possible design for a "superworm", a coordinated network of worm nodes. Typically worms are designed to infect as many hosts as possible, but as overly rapid growth can lead to early detection, this is a suboptimal strategy. The worm, dubbed Curious Yellow uses communication between worm nodes to ensure optimal infection rates."
..already have this? I believe it's called KazaA ;)
The best way to infect as many hosts as possible is to make sure you don't try to infect too many hosts? How Zen.
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
I'll get to work on it right away!
I'd say one good way to protect against it is don't open those files named YippeeImAnIdiot.jpg.vbs
Trying is the first step towards failure.
It started with the plans to decode alien transmissions. We all know that SETI is regulalrly receiving alien transmissions from benevolent aliens, but this would interfer3e with the power that Disney has, so they try to break their codes and subvert them. Then there's the cure for cancer search, or rather the seartch for drugs companies to make more money from new drugs. Let's not forget all the code breaking challenges. Why do they want to break this code? There's somethign written in secret that they want to find out? But what? Clearly the lost city of Atlantis. The US government wants its secrets for itself. It's time to stop and find a benevolent use for distributed computing.
Don't drink the water, they said. Sure, whatever, I said.
I drank the water.
Didn't you know? It's illegal to THINK about this kind of stuff now.
Microsoft's clickwrap agreement now states that you're only licensing the right to use your own brain matter, and they're legally entitled to read it at thier leisure?
On with the tin foil hats....
sig:- (wit >= sarcasm)
Pfft, we could easily stop it with a tic-tac-toe worm that will make it aware of it's own futility.
Assuming you don't live in destitute conditions, it seems more reasonable to say that real viruses don't kill you, except of course for the pathological (pardon the pun) exceptions.
Consider smallpox and cold.
Smallpox of course does kill, but it's not around.. where is it? I don't see it, my neighbors and friends don't see it. Nobody sees it, except for biologists.
Smallpox is laughed at by the other viruses. It has the strength of Hercules, but what does it do with it? It pops up once every few generations and shows its strength, but is usually gone in a flash. Lame.
The common cold, on the other hand, is everywhere.. I have it right now, some of my neighbors and friends have it.. it's spreading like wild-fire!
The cold is a great virus.. it's like the star of the viruses.. it tries its hardest not to get the host sick, becuase a sick host stays home, and then the cold can't get to new hosts.
The real benefit of sanitation, plumbing in particular, is the quarantine of hosts infected by loser viruses. Viruses that devastate poor river villages in the tropics aren't a threat in the rich cities because of sanitation... a couple of people get the virus, stay home (to recover or die), and few others get exposed.
If you want to make better viruses, save us some time and make them cool, like the cold, instead of lame, like smallpox... we'll both be happier for it.
By preventing them from copying the data in your head (by RF shielding your brain), your violating their copyright.
;)
Careful...
What's this Submit thingy do?