Parasitic Computing

ABSTRACT

Parasitic computing is programming technique where a program in normal authorized interactions with another program manages to get the other program to perform computations of a complex nature. It is, in a sense, a security exploit in that the program implementing the parasitic computing has no authority to consume resources made available to the other program.

The example given can also be two computers communicating over the Internet, under disguise of a standard communications session. The first computer is attempting to solve a large and extremely difficult 3-SAT problem; it has decomposed the original 3-SAT problem in a considerable number of smaller problems. Each of these smaller problems is then encoded as a relation between a checksum and a packet such that whether the checksum is accurate or not is also the answer to that smaller problem. The packet/checksum is then sent to another computer. This computer will, as part of receiving the packet and deciding whether it is valid and well-formed, create a checksum of the packet and see whether it is identical to the provided checksum. If the checksum is invalid, it will then request a new packet from the original computer. The original computer now knows the answer to that smaller problem based on the second computer's response, and can transmit a fresh packet embodying a different sub-problem. Eventually, all the sub-problems will be answered and the final answer easily calculated.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

CERTIFICATION PAGE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

1.0INTRODUCTION

1.1 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

1.3 IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY

1.4 DEFINITION OF TERMS

1.5 ASSUMPTION OF THE STUDY

CHAPTER TWO

2.0LITERATURE REVIEW

INTERNET'S INFINITE POSSIBILITIES

CHAPTER THREE

3.0COMMUNICATION MEDIA

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL

4.1ETHERNET

4.2INTERNET PROTOCOL SUITE

4.3SONET/SDH

4.4ASYNCHRONOUS TRANSFER MODE

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0CONCLUSION

5.1 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

5.2 SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

REFERENCES