longer recognises the mutated virus as a threat. We have annual flu
epidemics – and annual flu vaccination campaigns – because our
bodies are in essence playing a game of evolutionary cat-and-mouse
with the infection.
Evolution can also help artificial infections persist. In recent years,
malware has started to alter itself automatically to make identification
harder. During 2014, for example, the ‘Beebone’ botnet infected
thousands of machines worldwide. The worm behind the bots
changed its appearance several times a day, resulting in millions of
unique variants as it spread. Even if anti-virus software learned what
the current versions of code looked like, the worm would soon
shuffle itself around, distorting any known patterns. Beebone was
finally taken offline in 2015, when police targeted the part of the
system that wasn’t evolving: the fixed domain names used to co-
ordinate the botnet. This proved far more effective than trying to
identify the shapeshifting worms.[43] Similarly, biologists are hoping
to develop more effective flu vaccines by targeting the parts of the
virus that don’t change.[44]
Given the need to evade detection, malware will continue to
evolve, while authorities attempt to keep up. The routes of
transmission will also keep changing. As well as finding new targets
- like household devices – infections are increasingly spreading
through clickbait and tailored attacks on social media.[45] By
sending customised messages to specific users, hackers can boost
the chances they’ll click on a link and inadvertently let malware in.
However, evolution isn’t just helping infections spread effectively
from computer-to-computer or person-to-person. It’s also revealing a
new way to tackle contagion.