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The next big virus

  • 28-08-2020 12:53pm
    #1
    Sorolla
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,008 ✭✭✭


    Currently we are in a pandemic thanks to the novel COVID-19 virus.

    We see how this is impacting peoples lives - job losses, social unrest, etc

    What happens if the next virus is a computer virus the complete system breaks down:

    * internet banking breaks down
    * buying goods on the internet breaks down
    * social media breaks down
    * etc

    The reason everything breaks down is because everyone on the internet is afraid of everyone else on the internet and are afraid of getting the virus from each other

    Is such a scenario plausible?


Comments

  • #2
    FanadMan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,820 ✭✭✭FanadMan


    Sorolla wrote: »
    Currently we are in a pandemic thanks to the novel COVID-19 virus.

    We see how this is impacting peoples lives - job losses, social unrest, etc

    What happens if the next virus is a computer virus the complete system breaks down:

    * internet banking breaks down
    * buying goods on the internet breaks down
    * social media breaks down
    * etc

    The reason everything breaks down is because everyone on the internet is afraid of everyone else on the internet and are afraid of getting the virus from each other

    Is such a scenario plausible?

    Who said everyone on the net is afraid of everyone else?


  • #3
    TuringBot47
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 991 ✭✭✭TuringBot47


    Sorolla wrote: »
    What happens if the next virus is a computer virus the complete system breaks down:

    * internet banking breaks down
    * buying goods on the internet breaks down
    * social media breaks down
    * etc

    The reason everything breaks down is because everyone on the internet is afraid of everyone else on the internet and are afraid of getting the virus from each other

    Is such a scenario plausible?

    The "system" you talk about is not a system it's multiple systems.

    Everything worked before the internet.
    Banking, shopping and talking to the other people remotely via phone lines still worked.

    People are worried about quantum computers breaking encryption.
    There's new systems that are quantum computer resistant.

    If you don't mind nation states that record everything now, with the aim of decrypting them in the future.

    We don't have a homogenous system, it's a mish-mash of heterogeneous computer systems. If someone attacks Android, then Apple phones are okay.
    If someone attacks Windows, Linux is okay.
    Well mostly... unless you attack a protocol stack.

    I wouldn't worry about the entire telecoms and internet system going down at once.


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