http://fyi.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/08/29/stealth.computing/index.html http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=01/08/29/199205&mode=thread A group of researchers at Notre Dame figured out how to use the TCP Checksum calculations to get other computers to do number-crunching for them. "Below, we present an implementation of a parasitic computer using the checksum function. In order for this to occur, one needs to design a special message that coerces a target server into performing the desired computation." The article has the amount of great mathematical depth you'd expect from CNN :-) But it does say that the paper will be published in "Nature" this week. It's a really cool hack, though not especially efficient for real work. Of course, the Slashdot discussion follows typical structure - there's an interesting technical suggestion (ICMP checksums may be usable and are probably more efficient than TCP), some trolls and flamers, the obligatory "Imagine a Beowulf Cluster of those!" comment, and some speculation about the potential legalities and other uses for it. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to majordomo@wasabisystems.com