Evil bit (nonfiction)

The evil bit is a fictional IPv4 packet header field proposed in RFC 3514, a humorous April Fools' Day RFC from 2003 authored by Steve Bellovin.

The RFC recommended that the last remaining unused bit in the IPv4 packet header be used to indicate whether a packet had been sent with malicious intent, thus making computer security engineering an easy problem -- simply ignore any messages with the evil bit set.

Fiction cross-reference

• Carnevale Tenebre
• Gnomon Algorithm
• Hollerith
• Killer Poke - software defect for hire, and contract killer for Murder, Incorporated 1.1.
• Ticketology

Nonfiction cross-reference

• April Fool (nonfiction)
• Evil (nonfiction)
• Malice (nonfiction)

External links:

• Evil bit @ Wikipedia