Communications of the ACM
Safety in Numbers: A Cloud-Based Immune System For Computers
Credit: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
Researchers at Switzerland's Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) have incorporated cloud computing technology into Dimmunix, a new tool designed to make programs immune to future recurrences of bugs.
When a bug manifests in software for the first time, Dimmunix saves its signature, then observes the response of the computer and records a trace, which enables the tool to recognize the bug the next time. When the bug appears again, Dimmunix automatically changes the execution of the program so it continues to run smoothly. The use of cloud computing technology means the tool can protect an entire network of computers from bugs, even in an environment such as the Internet.
EPFL professor George Candea compares Dimmunix to the way the human immune system develops antibodies after an infection. "Subsequently, when the immune system encounters the same pathogen once again, the body recognizes it and knows how to effectively fight the illness," he says. Dimmunix is available as a free download online.
From Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne
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