Stealth (Or Parasitic) Computing

from the forget-distributed-computing dept

By now you've probably heard of distributed computing and all of the possibilities and issues that come associated with it. How about taking that one step further, though, and moving on to stealth computing? Some researchers from Notre Dame have figured out ways to send problems to web servers around the world, disguised as normal internet traffic, that when the results are reassembled, it can be used to answer more complex math problems. There are some ethical questions about using the resources of a machine that you don't have permission to use - though, the researchers say it's barely noticeable. They equate it to using the bathroom at a McDonalds while you're on the road - without purchasing any food. They also point out that it's not the most efficient solution.

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