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The Ultimate Hacker: SETI Signals May Need to Be Decontaminated

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2017

Richard A. Carrigan Jr.
Richard A. Carrigan Jr.*
Affiliation:
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Box 500, MS 306, Batavia, IL 60510, U.S.A.

Abstract

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Biological contamination from space is a remote but recognized possibility. SETI signals might also contain harmful information. Some argue that a SETI signal could not contaminate a terrestrial computer because the idiosyncratic computer logic and code constitute an impenetrable firewall. Suggestions are given below on how to probe these arguments and decontaminate SETI signals.

Type
Post SETI
Information
Symposium - International Astronomical Union , Volume 213: Bioastronomy 2002: Life Among the stars , 2004 , pp. 519 - 522
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of the Pacific 2004 

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