There’s no doubt about it. One of the biggest threats to computer technology is the computer virus. It can lead to ID theft, malware, even crimes like sextortion. There seems to be no end in sight. But one government agency vows to fight this epidemic.
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) brings top tech security experts to fight viruses. The event is called Cyber Grand Challenges (CGC). This event will test auto programs that look for computer vulnerabilities. Then, can they create and fix the vulnerability before the virus strikes? Can they do so without human help? A lot is riding on this. If this CGC is successful, this could mean no more cyber attacks on our devices. Yes, I know there are people and companies that fix viruses. We at Computer Geeks do so all the time. Yes, there are security software firms like Avast who prevent viruses and malware. But according to DARPA program manager Mike Walker, it can take over 300 days to find a security flaw. Hackers can do much damage in that time span. Operating systems run on millions of code lines. All it takes is one mistake in one code line to attack a computer or device. Even with these anti-virus programs and computer repair services, as great as they are, can’t totally protect you from flaws they don’t even know about.
I’m glad DARPA is on the case. We can’t go through a week without reading about a major hack attack. And it’s not just people in labs and basements either. Governments are hacking each other. I’ve read reports of Russian and/or Chinese hackers attacking our political ?conventions. We’re all in the war against computer viruses. All of us. So I’m not jealous at all of this CGC program. In fact, I hope it goes well. Wouldn’t it be great to live in a world without viruses, malware or the crime they bring?