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Security and the $100 Laptop
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.'"
If I know kids, there revenge on said hacker will be scary.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
The many millions of SymbianOS mobile "phones" is the largest computing monoculture in the world. Much more essential for the world's daily operation than these cool kids' PCs, and tied directly to the wallets, by the minute, of most people with any money.
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make install -not war
Plenty of people do malicious things for fun. There doesn't always have to be a pecuniary motive.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
You think the majority of worms and viruses that crack Microsoft Windows systems today are after the data contained in said system? You giv the answer yourself, its a readymade zombie network saleable to the highest bidder.
Not for MS but for MS's competitors. Can't really claim MS is a monopoly anymore if there's 100 million systems running a non-MS OS. That means that they are free to do as they please, for the most part, when it comes to locking people out of their OS. Most anti-competitiveness statues only affect monopolies. Companies that face competition are generally allowed to be as anti-competitive as they like.
That's true. The fact that the machines don't have appreciably large hard drives, heavy processing power, and won't have constant high-bandwith internet connections might do a lot for them.
On the other hand, there are going to be a *lot* of these machines. So I suppose they might make a tempting target "just because" or simply for bulk processing.
You're reading Slashdot. Of course you like Linux and pc hardware
Run each application in it's own virtual machine. Xen has a low enough overhead and is clean code. Browser compromised - reload from know good source.
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.
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.
I don't mean to be a Johnny-Come-Lately, but isn't there other ways to improve a civilization/country/etc without computers?
Sure there are. But just because there are other ways does not make this method any less beneficial.
Why is that when Linux is mentioned, it's like being touched by the Hand of God (or Allah for that matter) ?
Most things we can give or subsidize the cost of for developing nations have negative consequences. Giving them food, destroys the local market and kills their agricultural sector. Giving them GM crops that grow faster and better makes them dependent upon the companies who own the patent on that crop and who can later demand fees for its use. Giving them cheap Windows based PCs, may help in the short term, but it makes them dependent upon IP from an abusive foreign monopoly in the long term.
Linux is a win-win situation because by nature it ships with all the blueprints and tools needed with the only strings being used to stop it from being exploited in ways that hurt the end user. It gives them access to technology and information and provides a secure foundation for them to build upon without undercutting any local development. Rather, it encourages local development.
Imagine if instead of shipping food to African nations at below the market value, we shipped them a complete chain of tools and machinery needed to build from the ground up the entire industrial foundation for agricultural equipment and fertilizers. Basically, we gave them the whole setup of factories and education and patents we have. Then they would not be dependent upon us and could grow their own food the same way we do.
To do that would be prohibitively expensive for agriculture, but for software development, Linux is that complete chain, with no strings attached. That is why it is so well regarded by those interested in helping developing nations.
I do think they should sell the laptops commercially for $200-$300 though so that people who might want to help the project could purchase one for that price and in doing so pay for 2 free laptops for poor children. I also think that if they ever start mass producing them, they shouldn't be limited to just the poor nations. I think schools in the US might like the idea of being able to check out these to students to help with school work and stuff, especially in inner city areas.
My only question is why is Gnome used as the desktop? Gnome is a great desktop environment, but it seems like these machines, having only 128 MB of ram and no way to do swap partions (it would ruin a flash drive to use it for swap) it seems like fluxbox, XFce, or blackbox might be better. I realize the gnome is modified, but still.
The Gospel according to lolcat