NIST Studies Virus, DDoS Effect On Grids

Ben writes "Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have launched a new campaign to study the effect of viruses and denial of services attacks on grid computing systems. Specifically, they're developing models to establish vulnerability and find ways of fixing problems. But a grid's very strength -- its distibuted nature -- makes it vulnerable, indeed, they're finding. (Via Science Blog)"

Isolation

Hmm, I've never seen any serious computing grids that are open to outside networks or that run windows.

I think its common wisdom to isolate grids from the internet and other potentially hostile networks.

Sloppy sentence structure.

But a grid's very strength -- its distibuted nature -- makes it vulnerable, indeed, they're finding.

Ewwww, awkward!

Better: But the grid's very strength, its distributed nature, makes it more vulnerable to these types of attacks.

Or: However, they're finding the grid's strength -- its distributed nature -- makes it vulnerable.

This is one of those times dramatizing a sentence makes it worse.

hah

Cue in jokes about studying the slashdot effect on grid computer...

But seriously, what can simulate a DDoS more accurately than a bazillion slashdotters trying to RTFA and get the slashdot fix?

It must have something to do with the time...

Did anyone else read that as "NIST Studies Virus, DDoS Effect on Girls?"

I suppose DDoS'ing a girl is a pretty good way to give her a virus.

Re:It must have something to do with the time...

I suppose DDoS'ing a girl is a pretty good way to give her a virus.

I'll bet that most Slashdotters would be denied service from the average girl. :P

Article on NIST

http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/techbeat/tb2004 _0730.htm#tackling

Does anyone know anything about the scienceblog.com site? It doesnt seem very reputable considering all the ads and the very obvious SEO technquies (look for the hidden links at the bottom).

Re:Article on NIST

"Grid computing takes advantage of "down time" when computers are not using their full processing power to provide quick answers to problems in fields such as genomics, engineering design and financial services."

NIST jumping on the Grid bandwagon without knowing
what the term means. It's not about spare cycles;
it's about doing reliable distributed computing
in a loosely connected internet world. Most
machines "on the Grid" are large, dedicated
parallel farms bought for the purpose.

Foster's most recent Grid definition is at:
http://www.gridtoday.com/02/0722/100136.html [gridtoday.com]

AM

But...

one of the disadvantages is that the same data will be sent to multiple computers. You can see that they used a grid computing system to create the article:

From the first paragraph:
Grid computing takes advantage of ''down time'' when computers are not using their full processing power to provide quick answers to problems in fields such as genomics, engineering design and financial services. While parallel processing typically involves tying together multiple computers at a single site--all using one piece of software--a computer grid may be much more geographically dispersed, composed of many heterogeneous computers whose availability may change over time.

The third paragraph:
Grid computing takes advantage of ''down time'' when computers are not using their full processing power to provide quick answers to problems in fields such as genomics, engineering design and financial services. While parallel processing typically involves tying together multiple computers at a single site--all using one piece of software--a computer grid may be much more geographically dispersed, composed of many heterogeneous computers whose availability may change over time.

Freaking Classic!

This has nothing to do with the article, but of what I saw on the site while reading the article. To the left of the article is an ad for a t-shirt that has the caption "ASTHMA IS SEXY!", then the logo image, and below it, it says: "You knew it all along. Now own the shirt! Great gift for the lunger in your life." Heh, even the site selling the t-shirt is comical; check it out... Tee [tshirthell.com]

The perfect web ad for the slashdot crowd!

(GNC) Grid's Not Cluster

Grid computing takes advantage of ''down time'' when computers are not using their full processing power to provide quick answers to problems in fields such as genomics, engineering design and financial services.

The way I understand it, they're talking about all the cubies in Charles-Schwab and Raython and Citibank, with Folding@Home and Seti clients running as screensavers. Not dedicated clusters; just plain old ordinary workstations.

And I'd imagine the viruii and worms and DNS outtages all take a serious bite out of their collective assets...

Redundant systems are more vulnerable?

This hypothesis seems to go against logic but maybe it holds some water until things change a little. When you have one very good point of control to access to the system where is the difference then? Also when distributed systems use multiple locations as well as multiple configurations doesn't this create a more survivable system? The laws of nature clearly say that biodiversity is directly linked to an ecosystem's success. An attack or technical problem can not effect every part of a diverse system in the same way. Lately I have been comparing the laws of nature to the laws of technology and I have come to he simple conclusion that since computer systems are governed by the same laws it is inherent that the laws apply equally to there functioning parameters and design. This area of convergence between the laws of nature and computing is to interesting to ignore. Software could be developed by writing an ancestor program and creating random variations that are 'naturally selected' by simulated use and disruption of the population of software being tested, evolving software basically.

Attack would only be external

I've always just likened a grid to one big computer composed of many parts, which makes the next bit easier to visualise.

As a grid basically has all the connected boxes on the same framework, the possible attacks could either be external or internal to the grid. If external then it's either the fault of the underlying OS or the grid itself and should of course be repaired. Just like a single computer.

However I think it's unlikely that internal infection could occur (which is how most networks get infected) as for one the virus has to be written especially to take advantage of the grid, i.e. no script kiddies, secondly infecting the grid would infect your own box as it is part of the grid. Just like a single computer.

Also because the of the way resource allocation and processes move in grids like globus it'll localise the infection first, so if anything your box would get most of the infection and then only start trickling outwards.