The day the 'net stood still...

The day the 'net stood still.

What are YOU going to do when the big internet crash happens?

   Over reliance on a single protocol set will bring down the 'net. Without diversity you are weak. Especially when elements within the system are working to bring about your downfall.

   I check my mail each day. This can take some time. If I want to go to the cinema, (or if feeling adventurous the theatre) I'll check it up on the 'net first.

   If I want to go on holiday I log on, if I want to work I log on. Oh my goodness when the internet comes down I am going to be at quite a loss!

   And that's not to mention the very real losses which will be brought upon the work economically when the crash happens. Sometimes it seems that a man's lack of a good deodorant in Tokyo can bring about a crash over here - just think what a couple of weeks without the internet will do to the world stocks. Depression? Yeah just a bit.

   Of course some poor sod will get the blame and be publicly scourged for what is of course really our collective responsibilities, but that won't help us. (Retribution might make some feel a bit better, but won't effect the bottom line).

   Think it'll never happen? D'Oh. Really blinkered. DOS (denial of service) attacks are already impossible to thwart.

   Imagine the following: I write a program which changes 50% of all links on a website to point to my target machines.

   -websites are pretty much unprotected compared with company sites

   -users themselves are the 'action' which is required to enable the attack

   -status bar in Nav/IE can be set to show the original (or similar) link

   -breaking into geocities would be a very good start

   Even if this isn't the way it will fall, fall it will.

   Moral: don't *rely* on the internet in its current form: it is critically flawed. Don't rely on TCP/IP it is not, and was not designed to be pushed this far. Don't rely on C and *nix - diversity is the key. Do not rely on routing centres. If a user wants to be on the internet it seems fair that at least some of the time he should allow his computer to contribute to the routing of said network.

   If you build your house of straw someone is going to come along and blow it down. Heck, can you really blame them? Well, yeah for the house maybe - but not for all the valuables which happened to get rained on because *YOU* were fool enough to leave them open to attack - I'll repeat it again- the internet is not safe, is going to crash - and if your business relies exclusively on it you're stuffed...

   Evolution has proven that diversity is the key to survival. Why is there one protocol set?

A page from James David Chapman's website. Located at: http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~jchap/ Site mirrored here at: http://www.j.chap.btinternet.co.uk
This page last updated: My rating for the page: