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It seems unlikely any alien malware could be targeted to affect our computing platforms. However, if they had preexisting knowledge of computing as implemented

It seems unlikely any alien malware could be targeted to affect our computing platforms. However, if they had preexisting knowledge of computing as implemented on Earth, it would be less complex. If there was a type of malware universal enough to do so, it would probably be some kind of attack against the universal notion of intelligence itself. In which case, you may need to isolate it from humans as well. I think the most likely scenario for receiving any kind of alien Trojan horse signal, would be if the signal was some kind of instructions for how to create and execute an alien AI as encoded in the signal. However, that would require complex analysis and human intervention to build. Unless we reach a point where AGI systems can search, interpret, and implement instructions from said signals, any threats would require significant involvement from humans in order to materialize. At least, those are my initial thoughts.

neodymiumphish 4y ago
A short of 'Contact' scenario. Interesting
edgyquant 4y ago
>it seems unlikely What are you basing this on?
- readyplayeremma 4y ago
  Our existing computing platforms are very specific and very limited. Without knowledge of that specific design and the accompanying limitations, how could you pre-craft a non-interactive "exploit" that could be executed by such a system? I do think that it becomes more possible if we have AGI-like systems doing detection and analysis, but we do not. In addition, any universal exploit against AGI systems would probably have to be universal enough to also affect human intelligence.
  - godelski 4y ago
    For a clearer example, there's a reason a virus that affects Windows doesn't affect Linux. Or a virus that affects Windows XP doesn't affect Windows 11. There are of course counter examples, but this is the trend. To understand why the counter examples exist requires expert knowledge (or rather that there are basically the same things running in the same way).
    - edgyquant 4y ago
      We are currently discussing exploits designs by foreign intelligences to infect artificially intelligent systems. We are not talking about privilege escalation on a Mac.
      - stevenhuang 4y ago
        That's where you're confused. The only one insisting the topic under discussion is the infection of AI systems (as opposed to classical computing systems) is you...
        edgyquant 4y ago
        Except the proposed question was what if the signals were designed to only be detected by societies who’ve invented AI…
        stevenhuang 4y ago
        The specific thread you are on is about current systems. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34729927 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34729927
  - edgyquant 4y ago
    These exploits act on the AI, not the hardware. I’m well aware of how human crafted exploits currently work.
- throwbadubadu 4y ago
  We've built enough stupid complexity* that either the aliens must already have spied it out completely (but if they done that they could likely overtake is in any way quickly..), or it just won't happen. (*) I mean seriously, how would you design a virus in some limited signal that has a chance of overtaking any arbitrary specific system someone may have invented, that's impossible. Never say never maybe my imagination is too small..
  - edgyquant 4y ago
    It would likely be pretty “easy” to design a signal that tricks convolutional networks etc. no need to care about the underlying hardware
- wpietri 4y ago
  Good point! There's a bit in one of Larry Niven's books, possibly Ringworld. The protagonists are worried about what novel aliens might do. Somebody proposes ducking into hyperspace, where tracking them is "theoretically impossible". Another character responds, "What if they use different theories?" That something seems unlikely to a human used to dealing with other humans at the same or lower technology level to me says more about humans than about what's possible.
  - groffee 4y ago
    Reminds me of an episode of Stargate where they fire 'stealth' (invisible to radar) nukes at the Goa'uld ships, and they're just stood looking out the window at them! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvBsXxNc7k8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvBsXxNc7k8 Anyone who says anything like "it's impossible" etc just has a complete lack of imagination.
godelski 4y ago
Fun fact, this is basically (highly likely to be) true for biological systems as well for very similar reasons. Looking at you Orwell... edit: note that diseases have to make significant changes to jump species. The barrier for different biologies is even higher.
insane_dreamer 4y ago
> It seems unlikely any alien malware could be targeted to affect our computing platforms tell that to the Cylons
- midoridensha 4y ago
  The Cyclons were built by humans, had fought a war with them only 40 years before, and most importantly, had human-looking spies living with the humans and seducing the main creator of the computing platform's software to learn its vulnerabilities. They weren't some far-away aliens that had no prior knowledge of the colonies' computing systems.
  - insane_dreamer 4y ago
    fair point

neodymiumphish 4y ago

A short of 'Contact' scenario. Interesting

edgyquant 4y ago

>it seems unlikely What are you basing this on?

readyplayeremma 4y ago
Our existing computing platforms are very specific and very limited. Without knowledge of that specific design and the accompanying limitations, how could you pre-craft a non-interactive "exploit" that could be executed by such a system? I do think that it becomes more possible if we have AGI-like systems doing detection and analysis, but we do not. In addition, any universal exploit against AGI systems would probably have to be universal enough to also affect human intelligence.
- godelski 4y ago
  For a clearer example, there's a reason a virus that affects Windows doesn't affect Linux. Or a virus that affects Windows XP doesn't affect Windows 11. There are of course counter examples, but this is the trend. To understand why the counter examples exist requires expert knowledge (or rather that there are basically the same things running in the same way).
  - edgyquant 4y ago
    We are currently discussing exploits designs by foreign intelligences to infect artificially intelligent systems. We are not talking about privilege escalation on a Mac.
    - stevenhuang 4y ago
      That's where you're confused. The only one insisting the topic under discussion is the infection of AI systems (as opposed to classical computing systems) is you...
      - edgyquant 4y ago
        Except the proposed question was what if the signals were designed to only be detected by societies who’ve invented AI…
        stevenhuang 4y ago
        The specific thread you are on is about current systems. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34729927 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34729927
- edgyquant 4y ago
  These exploits act on the AI, not the hardware. I’m well aware of how human crafted exploits currently work.
throwbadubadu 4y ago
We've built enough stupid complexity* that either the aliens must already have spied it out completely (but if they done that they could likely overtake is in any way quickly..), or it just won't happen. (*) I mean seriously, how would you design a virus in some limited signal that has a chance of overtaking any arbitrary specific system someone may have invented, that's impossible. Never say never maybe my imagination is too small..
- edgyquant 4y ago
  It would likely be pretty “easy” to design a signal that tricks convolutional networks etc. no need to care about the underlying hardware
wpietri 4y ago
Good point! There's a bit in one of Larry Niven's books, possibly Ringworld. The protagonists are worried about what novel aliens might do. Somebody proposes ducking into hyperspace, where tracking them is "theoretically impossible". Another character responds, "What if they use different theories?" That something seems unlikely to a human used to dealing with other humans at the same or lower technology level to me says more about humans than about what's possible.
- groffee 4y ago
  Reminds me of an episode of Stargate where they fire 'stealth' (invisible to radar) nukes at the Goa'uld ships, and they're just stood looking out the window at them! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvBsXxNc7k8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvBsXxNc7k8 Anyone who says anything like "it's impossible" etc just has a complete lack of imagination.

godelski 4y ago

Fun fact, this is basically (highly likely to be) true for biological systems as well for very similar reasons. Looking at you Orwell... edit: note that diseases have to make significant changes to jump species. The barrier for different biologies is even higher.

insane_dreamer 4y ago

> It seems unlikely any alien malware could be targeted to affect our computing platforms tell that to the Cylons

midoridensha 4y ago
The Cyclons were built by humans, had fought a war with them only 40 years before, and most importantly, had human-looking spies living with the humans and seducing the main creator of the computing platform's software to learn its vulnerabilities. They weren't some far-away aliens that had no prior knowledge of the colonies' computing systems.
- insane_dreamer 4y ago
  fair point