Infection

A contagion of unknown origin, the Infection is a malignant and quickly propitiating parasitic disease that aggressively corrupts and overwrites data. It's origins are unknown, and it's coding is completely foreign and unlike anything found within The Omni-Net

Transmission & Vectors

The Infection spreads via direct code-to-code interfacing (i.e. invasive, internal contact, akin to transmission via blood and fluids), making it relatively easy to contain as long as proper precautions are taken and carriers are kept from interacting with non-infected individuals.

Causes

The exact cause of the Infection is still unknown. Given how foreign in nature it's code sequencing is it's commonly believed to have originated outside of the Omni-Net itself.
This effectively paints the Infection as being a non-native species being introduced to a foreign ecosystem it is in no way equipped to deal with.

Symptoms

Once the infected code has taken hold the subject's condition begins to quickly deteriorate. Signs of being stricken with the Infection can include destabilization to a program's Code and Format and symptoms resembling Fragmentation.
At it's latest stages the infected code manages to overwrite the host's native code and format completely, effectively rewriting them into a different organism completely. These new organisms- collectively referred to as Infected - then default to basic animal urges and an intrinsic need to reproduce and propitiate by spreading the infection further.

Treatment

At the moment outright preventing the Infection isn't impossible, but it's hardly a perfect fix. Administering specialized Scripts a program can add complexity layers to their code that can prevent breaches by the infected code. This works less like administering a vaccine and more along the lines of an immuno-booster as it's effects are not permanent.
Other more specialized scripts can similarly stall and attempt to slow down the overwriting of code caused by the Infection but such scripts need to be taken with a consistent and constant regiment to remain effective. Scripts of this nature are expensive and infected programs can quickly find themselves unable to afford them depending on the extent of their resources and the scripts' availability.
The Infection itself does not have a cure, and after it has progressed enough scripts will no longer be effective. The subject's code will have been damaged too much at this point for them to make any measurable impact.

Prognosis

The illness follows a very direct, strait line progression of contraction, code and format destabilization and later conversion to becoming one of the Infected. There doesn't appear to be any real commonality to how long this process takes, as it has been observed as taking as little as only a few hours to as long as weeks when left untreated.
It is theorized that this rate of progression is dependent from host-to-host based off of their code and the illness's ability to try to interface with it and overwrite it.
In rare cases- roughly .05% of all Programs that get infected- the Infection code has a chance of properly integrating with the host's code in a condition referred to as Symbiont. Symbionts are considered to be just as dangerous of a transmission vector by Firewall as regular Infected and are hunted accordingly.

Sequela

Fragmentation is the most common and prevalent resulting condition from becoming infected. In some cases an infected program or auto can have their format and code destabilized to such a degree that they ultimately go offline before a full infection overwrite can even take place. All of the usual symptoms of fragmentation- memory loss, mood swings, hallucinations, dulling of the senses, etc- are in play here.
Additionally, from an outward point of view sudden and drastic changes to the host's format are common. These can get as bad as an unnatural distortion of body features and anatomy, not unlike a 3D model appearing broken.

Prevention

The easiest method of prevention is taking steps to avoid physical contact with an infected individual. That said, in some instances that may be more easily said than done given that late-stage infected persons can at times display heightened tendencies toward aggression and violence.

History

On the 27th Day of the 3rd Month of 20908 V2 the first sightings of the Infection were observed in the fringes of the Taxon District of Lower Datum. Where, exactly, the Infection originated from is to this day unknown, but in the early days it appeared primarily to spread through various infected Autos residing in the area. Only within the first week had it jumped fully from auto to program with enough numbers to show the beginning signs of a pattern.
The illness would spread through the fringe areas of Taxon like a wildfire, quickly and rapidly overwriting countless programs. Firewall would respond quickly by deploying additional CEC forces into the area but to little effect. Eleven days after the outbreak Firewall's administration board would unanimously ratify measures to form the Quarantine Integrity Core- or QIC- to more directly combat the Infected. As this militarization by Firewall begins to ramp up citizens begin to flee from Taxon in mass and flood into the other districts of Lower Datum. CEC forces begin working overtime in the other districts as these refugees are processed and tested to make sure they aren't carriers for the disease.
Tens of thousands of programs simply disappear in a short amount of time. Many are converted into Infected while others are killed by the Infected. Some are killed by Firewall for fear of spreading the disease further. Others are simply gone, their ultimate fates unknown.
The start of the 5th month of that same year would see the beginning of further quarantine measure in the form of the construction of The Silent Line, a massive complex of walls and military structures meant to effectively cut off the Taxon Red Zone from the rest of Datum.
The increased server load of the Infection's arrival, it's resource consumption and it's damage to crucial infrastructure and Bitplants in Taxon would eventually lead to The Second Crash on the 4th day of the 9th month of 20909 V2.
As of the start of the story (20918 V3) the Silent Line is still standing and the Infected still run rampant in a full third of the Taxon District.

Cultural Reception

The Infection's impact on Datum has been nothing short of cataclysmic. The disease's arrival was a turning point in Datum's history, causing widespread panic, social upheaval and a massive death toll before eventually prompting the Second Crash, which would only exacerbate all of these issues further.
The Infection Crisis has been ongoing for a decade with no clear end in sight.

Type

Nanite / Mechanical

Origin

Alien

Cycle

Chronic, Acquired

Rarity

Common