the part around the word 'horrifying'
That's not a threat model. A threat model is basically a list of adversaries and their capabilities. Typically, defensive measures help against some of them, but not all of them -- a threat model helps you figure out the right trade-offs and estimate who you are (more or less) protected from, and who you are vulnerable to.
stuff that accesses hardware, shuffles swap space around, arranges memory addresses
That stuff usually goes by the name of "operating system". Why do you think that brain emulations will run on top of something that's closely related to contemporary operating systems?
a hostile exploiter
You seem to worry a lot about your brain emulation being hacked from the outside, but you don't worry as much about what the rightful owner of the hardware and the software on top of which your em lives might do?
A threat model is
I'm merely a highly-interested amateur. Would you be willing to help me work out the details of such a model?
Why do you think that brain emulations will run on top of something that's closely related to contemporary operating systems?
Because even as a scifi fan, I can only make so many guesses about alternatives, and it seems at least vaguely plausible that the same info-evolutionary pressures that led to the development of contemporary operating systems will continue to exist for at least the next couple of decades. At least, plau...
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post, then it goes here.
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