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.'"

Pull my cracker

[matt me]

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

Even bigger story in there...

[Penguinisto]

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

Re:Even bigger story in there...

[muellerr1]

(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.

Coming up next...

[Funkcikle]

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.

Re:TFA

[Captain Splendid]

Well, this guy [ateamshrine.co.uk] seems to have a pretty good track record, maybe they could hire him?

Hubrus Computing

[Anonymous Coward]

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.

Just imagine...

[jo42]

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

Your overconfidence is your weakness

[Rogerborg]

> "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!

5enD ME 4 C0uplE...

[Anonymous Coward]

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

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8I9 D09

COTDC Member #78215

W0Rd 70 j00R M0m