How About Some Mutating Networks?

The static design of Defense Department computer networks aids adversaries in attacks, the Air Force Research Lab in Rome, N.Y., said in a notice seeking help in developing "mutating" networks that "continually, dynamically, and unpredictably modify or morph the network into secure operational modes both before and during attacks."

Federal standards for PC security also aid attacks, the lab said, because "a single attack exploit for the standardized configuration can be used to compromise all systems with that configuration."

So to counter attacks against millions of machines in the federal government running on the same standard, the lab wants to develop techniques for "metamorphic transformations" of software code to deter attacks.

If you have some good ideas for metamorphic mutants, the lab would like to hear from you.