Wireless Networks That Build Themselves

ScienceDaily has an interesting article that looks at ad-hoc wireless networks and how they might be even more useful on a large scale. The RUNES project is featured as an example of software projects that might be able to make mobile devices that form self-organizing wireless networks to help promote this goal. "RUNES set out to create middleware: software that bridges the gap between the operating systems used by the mobile sensor nodes, and high-level applications that make use of data from the sensors. RUNES middleware is modular and flexible, allowing programmers to create applications without having to know much about the detailed working of the network devices supplying the data. This also makes it easy to incorporate new kinds of mobile device, and to re-use applications."

Comments

Responsibility

[CRCulver]

What happens if your mobile device forms a node over which someone else gets child porn?

Re:Responsibility

[ColdWetDog]

What happens when the mobile devices get together and watch "Terminator"?

Re:Responsibility

[iknownuttin]

What happens if your mobile device forms a node over which someone else gets child porn?

FTFA:Applications include emergency management, security, helping vulnerable people to live independently, traffic control, warehouse management, and environmental monitoring.

I really don't see this protocol, at first anyway, being used for consumer devices. I'm sure someone will find an application for it, but I don't see the need in the near term. And, I would assume, there would have to be some sort of identifier of the sender and ultimate receiver like TCP/IP has in its protocol.

Re:Responsibility

[SatanicPuppy]

Nothing. Common carrier.

The day when this becomes real will be the day that traditional ISPs die. The only way to reliably monitor the traffic will be some kind of "seeding" where the monitor-er will put out relays that monitor the traffic that passes across them.

I think this is really possible in the long run, but in the short run I don't think most things have sufficient computing or broadcast power to make it a reality. Cool that they're working on it though.

I'll bet....

[UncleTogie]

...that malware writers will LOVE this. Free propagation, just add mesh!

Recipe for Cash

[uberhobo_one]

Step 1: Set up a node(s) at the very edge of a mesh network. Step 2: Install software to execute a man in the middle attack. Step 3: Wait for someone to connect to you alone. Step 4: Wait for that someone to connect to their bank. Step 5: Drain their account. It'll take some clever protocols to prevent abuse if this ever gets used as a standard consumer network protocol, but it should do wonders for emergency services.

Re:Recipe for Cash

[SatanicPuppy]

Just because someone routes traffic through your node, doesn't mean you can read it. A man in the middle attack across encryption requires that people accept unsecured certificates, which happens often enough, but it's not a slam dunk by any stretch. Theoretically they could try to screw with the PKI, but that would involve breaking their keys, and if you could do that, then stealing someone's bank info would be trivial.

The great thing about public key crypto is that the key that is visible is meant to be.

RUNES Homepage

[sconeu]

Runes Homepage for those who want more depth.

What a Wireless Sensor Node is:

[corsec67]

A wireless sensor node like the Tmote Sky(pdf) is a very tiny embedded computer that runs on 2 AA batteries, and is usually the size of the back of the 2 AA battery holder. They have a radio on it, but the radio isn't compatible with 802.11b instead compatible with 802.15.4, and is limited to about 256kbps. The Tmote Sky has a 8MHz 8-bit processor (the Atmega 128), 10KiB of ram, 1024KiB of flash, with a few A-D inputs and some digital outputs. It isn't exactly very fast, nor does it have a bunch of ram.

It is designed for a distributed sensor platform, and not doing a lot of computation.

A picture of one is here, connected to a 14-foot USB cable.