[Freedombox-discuss] freedombox & blackhats

[Matt Joyce]

Most large networks I've been to that care about security would notice a
machine hardwired into their network that wasn't pre-approved based off the
mac address of the ethernet interface alone.  They'd be able to locate it
just by the wirepath.

Wireless is a different issue, but most internal wireless is configured to
only allow vpn traffic to their own gateway... so again blocked.

=/

But I suppose in more lax environments it might be easy to cause damage.
But it's not like this tech hasn't been around for near 10 years now.

-Matt

On Mon, Feb 28, 2011 at 10:06 AM, Thomas Lord <lord at emf.net> wrote:

> Hacker News brought an interesting link today:
>
>
> http://blog.andrewcantino.com/post/3565673304/why-plug-computers-are-a-security-nightmare
>
> The gist is that if blackhat hackers can penetrate your
> environment and stealthily install some plug computers -
> loaded with suitable software - those bugs would be
> hard not notice, could sniff your wireless traffic (or,
> if connected, your network), and can stealthily move that
> information back towards the blackhat mothership.
>
> Which is nothing new.  People have known about that kind
> of thing of years.  Trends in plug computing make the
> threat cheaper to execute and easier to conceal - that's
> the main thing.
>
> After reading that I was thinking what this meant
> to Freedombox.   I came up with two items:
>
> 1. The network hardening and stealth communications
> ambitions of FreedomBox might *also* be a boon to
> blackhat applications.   That might give some people
> and organizations incentive to interfere with or
> corrupt those aspects of FreedomBox development.
>
> 2. If it is born out that such features are an important
> new security threat, presumably there will be investment
> in R&D to create and sell counter-measures to FreedomBox-style
> mesh networking, tunneling, etc.
>
> To be clear: I don't see anything that "needs to be done"
> in response to these speculated problems other than,
> perhaps, to keep them in the back of our minds.
>
> -t
>
>
>
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