Posted on 07/11/2012 2:09:03 PM PDT by LibWhacker
Quarantine it in an Airstream.
“about the possibility of inadvertently receiving or downloading a virus, he stressed that the possibility is extraordinarily low, but not impossible.”
It’s actually far more likely that I’d be able to flap my arms and fly to the moon, naked.
buffer overflows come from poor assumptions about the data. For example allocating 256 bytes of memory but trying to load a text string into it until you hit a null character, even if that is more than 256. Since we don't expect any data format from the aliens (or the random noise of space), we don't make faulty assumptions of what that format will be.
The ones you’ve got to watch out for are the Arcturian advance fee schemes...
I can’t get some of my Mac applications to work on my PC. I doubt that aliens would have universal viral applications.
No... but in 2009 a malicious swine flu virus was spread by some illegal aliens.
A civilization of machines would not be constained by Sagan’s hypothesis. They could infect our machines to destroy us, in effect turning earth technology into Decepticons.
The invaders of “Independence Day” were destroyed by a Mac virus.
Which I why I use Windows....
I use Macaferengi virus protection.
If you can outcheat them outright, they’re fine business partners.
Ferengi rules of acquisition
http://www.sjtrek.com/trek/rules/
how about this scenario?
A small group of computer intelligentsia get together, and device
a set of signals (which are a “ code “ of sorts) that are
beamed down to known SETI detectors, through a privately
launched satellite
These signals are non sensical, non codelike (computerwise) in simple
analysis, but are some type of code nevertheless.But when all of
these signals are fed into the SETI computers,
this non codelike information is built to find other data segments which have
been beamed down and fed into the SETI computer main
information bank. The code segments assimilate and
self assemble into a computer virus of sorts. From the
SETI banks this information is shared on millions of
computers, silently siphoning off information, and
turning the private computers into computer “zombies” which
send out malicious and information sucking code to other
connected networks. Pretty soon, you can knock out the whole
systems. They may even be able to tap into military/government
data banks....and disable the system when a emergency
situtation develops....
Bring back pigeons and pencils and paper.
Ah, C-isms. Using Ada, or LISP-like languages and this problem goes away (unless you specifically tell it not to do bounds-checking): precisely because both were designed with a concept of array/list whose implementation required bounds. {In the case of LISP, the bounds being in-theory the memory of the Computer/VM [but wouldn't overflow, in any case]}
Since we don't expect any data format from the aliens (or the random noise of space), we don't make faulty assumptions of what that format will be.
I'm not so sure about that. The last few programs I've been on could be called horrid chimeras created and fostered by cut-and-paste. -- Sometimes assumptions are made in a certain section of code which are valid, but in another are invalid.
Dear Mr. Sir,
REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE-STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL
I am Dr. Bakare Tunde, the cousin of Nigerian Astronaut, Air Force Major Abacha Tunde. He was the first African in space when he made a secret flight to the Salyut 6 space station in 1979. He was on a later Soviet spaceflight, Soyuz T-16Z to the secret Soviet military space station Salyut 8T in 1989. He was stranded there in 1990 when the Soviet Union was dissolved. His other Soviet crew members returned to earth on the Soyuz T-16Z, but his place was taken up by return cargo. There have been occasional Progrez supply flights to keep him going since that time. He is in good humor, but wants to come home.
In the 14-years since he has been on the station, he has accumulated flight pay and interest amounting to almost $ 15,000,000 American Dollars. This is held in a trust at the Lagos National Savings and Trust Association. If we can obtain access to this money, we can place a down payment with the Russian Space Authorities for a Soyuz return flight to bring him back to Earth. I am told this will cost $ 3,000,000 American Dollars. In order to access the his trust fund we need your assistance.
Consequently, my colleagues and I are willing to transfer the total amount to your account or subsequent disbursement, since we as civil servants are prohibited by the Code of Conduct Bureau (Civil Service Laws) from opening and/ or operating foreign accounts in our names.
Needless to say, the trust reposed on you at this juncture is enormous. In return, we have agreed to offer you 20 percent of the transferred sum, while 10 percent shall be set aside for incidental expenses (internal and external) between the parties in the course of the transaction. You will be mandated to remit the balance 70 percent to other accounts in due course.
Kindly expedite action as we are behind schedule to enable us include downpayment in this financial quarter.
Please acknowledge the receipt of this message via my direct number 234 (0) 9-234-2220 only.
Yours Sincerely, Dr. Bakare Tunde
Astronautics Project Manager
tip@nasrda.gov.ng
http://www.nasrda.gov.ng/
*********************************
Oh crap! We’re doomed! Some idiot is going to broadcast Windows Vista into space and the aliens are gonna come and nuke us.
Well, I guess that would provide the answer they're searching for.
On my “things I’m worried about” list, this possibility ranks just below the lack of trans-gendered bathrooms in Portland Oregon.
That poor Nigerian fellow!
Perhaps we’ll download the secret formula for making Natasha Henstridge!
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