Distributed Computing: An Unstoppable Brute Force

Distributed computing allows groups to accomplish work that was not feasible before with supercomputers, due to cost or time constraints. Although the primary functions of distributed computing systems is to produce needed processing power to complete complex computations, distributed computing also reaches outside of the processing arena to other areas such as network usage. When used properly, both areas compliment each other and can produce needed results. When used maliciously, either processing or networking distributed attacks can produce a brute force that even the best firewalls or encryption are powerless to prevent. Using distributed computing brute force attacks on encryption algorithms, distributed denial of service attacks, distributed reflective denial of service attacks, and other future forms of malicious attacks, there is much to guard against with these types of computer usage. Distributed computing should be tamed and closely guarded against such uses through efforts to filter out invalid network packets for distributed attacks, and carefully monitoring computer software to ensure that a distributed computing processing, brute force attack cannot occur.