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Security and the $100 Laptop

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the what-about-the-single-girl dept.

gondaba writes "The One Laptop Per Child project is actively recruiting hackers to help crack the security model of the $100 laptop to avoid the obvious risks associated with what will effectively be the largest computing monoculture in history. From the article: 'The key design goal, Krstic explained, is to avoid irreversible damage to the machines. The laptops will force applications to run in a "walled garden" that isolates files from certain sensitive locations like the kernel. "If we discover vulnerabilities, the security model must hold up enough that even a machine that is unpatched won't be easily exploitable. This gives us a bit of diversity to avoid the monoculture trap," he added.'"

9 of 144 comments (clear)

  1. Pull my cracker by matt+me · · Score: 2, Funny

    Oh come on, what perverted cracker wouldn't enjoy flashing "All your base are belong to us" across every child's laptop in Africa?

  2. Even bigger story in there... by Penguinisto · · Score: 2, Funny
    If they pull off 100 million laptops, Microsoft can no longer claim dominance in the desktop...

    Good Lord! The chairs are a'gonna fly in Redmond once this gets out!

    (props for the security testing, though :) )

    /P

    --
    Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
    1. Re:Even bigger story in there... by muellerr1 · · Score: 2, Funny
      (props for the security testing, though :) )

      Sure, but they're going about it all wrong. Everyone knows that the way you ensure secure computers is to make a proprietary OS and don't tell anyone where your buffer overflows are.
      --
      steampunk web design
  3. Coming up next... by Funkcikle · · Score: 3, Funny

    After they solve this dimension of the security issue, they can deal with a slightly more important one - securing the laptops against theft.

    DEAREST SIR MY NAME IS BARRISTER MUMBAGWE SMYTHE AND I WRITE TO YOU IN GRAVE NEED FOR ASSIST. RECENTLY MY GOVERNMENT UNCLE DIED AND LEFT ME MANY MILLION LAPTOP WHICH MUST BE EXITED FROM COUNTRY.

    I predict more dead third world children! Oh yes. Still, it makes a nice change from diamonds/oil/etc....instead there shall be many a colourful laptop for sale on eBay, due to demand created by Linux fetishists.

    If only they had used OS X - then there would be no desire for such hideous laptops by those OS fans. Sniffle.

  4. Re:TFA by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well, this guy seems to have a pretty good track record, maybe they could hire him?

    --
    Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
  5. Hubrus Computing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I agree that security is important. That part makes sense. But the line about " the largest computing monoculture in history". Wow. Drink that coolaid! Leave it to the boys at MIT.

  6. Just imagine... by jo42 · · Score: 2, Funny

    100 million laptops discovering goatse at the same time...

  7. Your overconfidence is your weakness by Rogerborg · · Score: 3, Funny
    > "The machine, he said, will feature a completely secure BIOS solution that allows fully automatic upgrades without user intervention and fully protects against phishing and automated worm attacks."

    Also, it whitens your teeth while you sleep, and autodials Alyson Hannigan whenever she's feeling lonely and horny. All for $100!

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  8. 5enD ME 4 C0uplE... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    1f j00 seND mEh 4 k0upLE, 1'LL 7rY H4cK1N' 7HeM.

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