A Malicious Software Called Wabbit And Human Development

Added: 04/25/2007

What is a Wabbit? A Wabbit is a self replicating computer program that can be designed to behave maliciously by clogging up a PC with itself in millions of identical formats. This produces what has been termed as a "fork bomb" which in essence is a denial of service. A Wabbit scenario is not considered a virus or worm attack as their behaviour possesses distinct differences it is however a kind of malware.

Why would anyone want to hinder progress by producing such a thing as a malicious Wabbit or any malicious software? Perhaps the originators of malware had a deprived childhood or were bullied at school, whatever the excuse the fact is that these criminals are intent on destroying or at least frustrating progress made courtesy of the Internet. Referring to them as criminals is no exaggeration when one considers the gravity and scale of some of the scenarios experienced as a result of malicious software.

Denial of service through utilizing the components of a Wabbit can have a catastrophic impact on businesses and thereby on people who may never even heard the term Wabbit or fork bomb. A fork bomb is designed to quickly create processes and thereby saturate the available space in the list of processes stored within a computer’s operating system. Saturating the process table prevents new programs being started which combined with its self replicating features ensures that no other programs get a chance to ‘kick-in’.

Bash fork bomb is another variant on a theme of destruction whereby it is possible to bring a cpu to a grinding halt. The association between a Wabbit – a kind of malware and a fork bomb should be fairly obvious, however less so are the minds of the designers who create them as malicious software. What enjoyment can anyone derive from an attack that they can only read about provided it is successful enough to achieve a high damage ratio.

As mentioned above Wabbit is a self replicating computer program and therefore has its origins as a genuinely functional component designed to help improve system functionality. Turning Wabbit into a dysfunctional member of a computer family required skill and a comprehensive understanding of the way in which Wabbit operated and thereby could be turned into something with malicious intent. It always amazes how or why clever people need to commit to actions that work against everyone rather than working with everyone. If the amount of time and effort these people spent on creating something malicious was spent on for example a cure for cancer, how much further would human kind have progressed and how much suffering would have been eliminated from our existence? Intellect is meant to provide us all with increased vision so that we more easily comprehend how to better work within the environment that is Planet Earth therefore the logic to do anything else appears flawed.
Taking this suggestion a step further if the intention of malicious software inventors is to delay or hinder advances, they are ultimately successful.

The Internet has opened a fresh channel of communication that the world never previously experienced. Wasting an opportunity to work in harmony with thousands of others who share the same aim but see it through different perspectives should not be treated lightly. Anyone with the intelligence to create malicious software should also possess the wit to understand the potential benefits associated with harmonious working. Now is the time in which harmony between cultures can make a difference that will be felt throughout the world for the greater good.

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