A sneaky thought on PC software

I'm not sure I'm putting this in the right forum so bear with me..
I've been thinking about this SETI at home program. And yes I know it has a separate part of ATS but my post here is not really about SETI@home.
Well, picture this: CIA is working on cracking an encryption or something and realises they have too little time in their supercomputers. Someone points out that maybe it's possible to use computers not in use by a clerk during nights within the pentagon/to network crunch the numbers to create a virtual supercomp. Then someone else points out that you'd need alot of pc:s for that..

Well I think you get my drift.. would it be possible to make a screensaver that does something exiting like for instance SETI and get help with the data crunching? And have us all US/non US happily install it on our computers to help with our small packages? I know I'd be laughing my socks off if I was the guy who came up with the idea.. And maybe I'd even add a line that scans the computer while working so I can get sensitive information sent in one of the packages?

And for the record: I don't think SETI is controlled by the CIA but it is a good example to illustrate..
So tell me am I totally off in my thoughts?

I am not computer expert but you scenario sound good, I remember the president in one of his speeches wanted the internet free (from tax) and he wanted a computer in every household in US.

It could be possible.

[Edited on 3-6-2004 by marg6043]

I mentioned this same thing in another thread... I think its very possible, if not likey.

Originally posted by Clownface
And maybe I'd even add a line that scans the computer while working so I can get sensitive information sent in one of the packages?

Take a look at this link: Link
and do some research on PROMIS. Basically the Dept. of Justice sold a software package to foriegn governments that had a "backdoor" that they could view and manipulate all their information without the person's knowledge. Very similar to your theory.

As to the topic, I don't know if such a scenario would actually be necessary, but I do feel it is possible. For all we know Bill Gates is reading my email as we speak.

Originally posted by Clownface
...Well I think you get my drift.. would it be possible to make a screensaver that does something exiting like for instance SETI and get help with the data crunching?....
And for the record: I don't think SETI is controlled by the CIA but it is a good example to illustrate..
So tell me am I totally off in my thoughts?

Hi Clownface!!

Thank you for your endorsement of SETI@home, which as you rightly say, has it's own ATS forum (along with BOINC, the "replacement" program for SETI@home).

There is a thread in the forum - here - that mentions other distributed computing projects which are designed to be run at "home", which you might find interesting??

Your reasoning seems to be that the CIA/NSA ect ran out of supercomputer time. Besides thie issues of security of classified materials.

The CIA and NSA don't think like we do in terms of limited resources. If they start running out of computer power, they just buy another without thought to cost. They don't think in terms of if we buy A we can't buy B, they think we want both, so lets buy A and B, even if they do the same thing.

So I disagree, the CIA would never use distributed computing power to break a code over a non-secure net of privately owned computers. What if their advasaries knew of the project and sent faked broken codes, or just sent in a result saying the code wasn't broken, when it actually was.