What if it was possible for a human to catch a computer virus?

Started by EntropyUSB, October 18, 2013, 08:09:11 pm

Previous topic - Next topic

EntropyUSB

Kind of makes you think... doesn't it?

I mean seriously, what would happen if say a computer virus was able to infect humans? What would the outcome be? Who would get infected? How would we protect ourselves from something that came from our computer?


BONUS: If you had to catch a computer virus, which one would be interesting to catch? What do you think would happen if it infected you and actually did something?
Spoiler: ShowHide

Blizzard

A computer virus is simply a program designed to integrate itself deep into the OS and cause harm. Viruses written for Windows usually don't even work on Unix systems. And the brain doesn't run on Windows or Unix. Of course it's impossible. Unless we get cybernetic implants and chips that get a certain amount of control over us have their own OS for which you could write a virus, there is no way a computer virus could infiltrate a human brain.
Check out Daygames and our games:

King of Booze 2      King of Booze: Never Ever
Drinking Game for Android      Never have I ever for Android
Drinking Game for iOS      Never have I ever for iOS


Quote from: winkioI do not speak to bricks, either as individuals or in wall form.

Quote from: Barney StinsonWhen I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.

stripe103

Even if it was possible to gain access to the brains memory like any file system I'm pretty sure that every single file would have a unique key that you can't get access to at all, probably the experience the memory was tied to or something.

EntropyUSB

Quote from: Blizzard on October 19, 2013, 03:40:01 am
A computer virus is simply a program designed to integrate itself deep into the OS and cause harm. Viruses written for Windows usually don't even work on Unix systems. And the brain doesn't run on Windows or Unix. Of course it's impossible. Unless we get cybernetic implants and chips that get a certain amount of control over us have their own OS for which you could write a virus, there is no way a computer virus could infiltrate a human brain.


Well duh, I already knew that... the question was "what if it was possible". Catch a computer virus that shuts down a computer... what if the same effect happened to humans, just shuts them down.
Spoiler: ShowHide

Lobstrosity

There are plenty of already-existing viruses and diseases that humans can catch that effectively 'shut them down'. If by 'shut down' you mean dead.
Don't come any closer. I'm armed... with SCIENCE!

G_G


Blizzard

They very concept is absurd. You could have at least used a better example such as the fungi infection thing from "The last of us" even though it's not really the same.
Check out Daygames and our games:

King of Booze 2      King of Booze: Never Ever
Drinking Game for Android      Never have I ever for Android
Drinking Game for iOS      Never have I ever for iOS


Quote from: winkioI do not speak to bricks, either as individuals or in wall form.

Quote from: Barney StinsonWhen I get sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead. True story.

R.A.V.S.O

The concept as explained IS absurd, but let's add a new parmeter in shall we?

Well ok let's put it this way... we've seen hi-jacker viruses haven't we?

in terms of humans... yeah impossible, and truth serum is NOT considered a virus as it has no specific will or instructions, it's just
a body reaction...

BUUUUT.... on the insect world... the closest thing we got to a keylogger/hi-jacker is this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuKjBIBBAL8

does not affect humans. but insects have this and it's quite a (creative) devastating way to keep population in check.
(that ant is having the weirdest boner atm...)
in other words... "The last of us" IS happening... on the insect scale at least.

Personality Test results
Spoiler: ShowHide




"Life is unfair, so make it unfair in your favor" -Sesilou

PhoenixFire

Okay, so IF, we came to the point as a society that humans have evolved to the point where out brain has become mostly dependent on bio-chips of something that basically means our brains are 99% computer, how would we go about getting these viruses? Like, are we interfacing through some sort of specialty port on computers that allow us that access or something?
Quote from: Subsonic_Noise on July 01, 2011, 02:42:19 amNext off, how to create a first person shooter using microsoft excel.

Quote from: Zeriab on September 09, 2011, 02:58:58 pm<Remember when computers had turbo buttons?

Memor-X

Quote from: DigitalSoul on October 20, 2013, 12:02:35 amare we interfacing through some sort of specialty port on computers that allow us that access or something?


naaa, we'll have something that looks like Jedi Mind Powers but instead of The Force we have a wireless receiver which acts as a central node for a house wide network which ever appliance is connected to, something like that exists already but it's using a microchip in one's hand

Quote from: EntropyUSB on October 18, 2013, 08:09:11 pm
I mean seriously, what would happen if say a computer virus was able to infect humans? What would the outcome be? Who would get infected? How would we protect ourselves from something that came from our computer?


this would only happen in the far off future if humanity has gotten so stupid as to allow something like this to happen ofcause we already have unsecured wireless pacemakers for crying out load so it may end up happening

rather than saying "what if a human brain got infected with a computer virus" what about saying "what if a device that interfaces with the human brain got infected" which would me more than likely if we got chips in our heads but i'm more looking at Accel World here, in the Second season, using a virus Dusk Taker attached to a photo he messes with Crow's sight and tricks him into walking into the girls changeroom or even with Brain Burst itself, if the player looses all Burst Points the game uninstalls, can never be reinstalled and wipes the player of all memories of the game including their action of when they were a player (in Dusk Taker's example, after he lost he forgot about what he did to Crow), now the exact cause it unknown but what if a virus is installed when Brain Burst uninstall that blocks memory and prevents the Brain Burst Installer running (in Dusk Taker's example he had a chip which devolved, the memory loose would have been more likely caused by the chip self destructing as it also wiped out his memories of the research group)

then you have Sword Art Online, the fact that a user could get trapped in a game and could die in real life if they died in the game is bad, what if devices like that existed now and a virus infected with something like a key logger, the virus could trap you in cyberspace while all your personal info is stolen

Crasger

Well aren't computer viruses for humans essentially actual diseases like the flu or lou gherig's?

Some cases are the ones that not everyone gets, while some are common and are rather easy to cure. But then there are some that will try and destroy the host but before that, will propagate to the host's nearest contacts by means of "e-mail" (social and physical interaction [i.e, talking to others, shaking hands, sex, intravenous, etc. etc.]).

Basically the "Zombie Apocalypse" that everyone's talking about could be caused by a computer virus.