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An explanation of what this is and why it exists: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/nyregion/16about.html?_r=2& https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/nyregion/16a

An explanation of what this is and why it exists: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/nyregion/16about.html?_r=2& https://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/16/nyregion/16about.html?_r=.... Personally, I've set up a cheap router [1] with OpenWrt [2] with similar privoxy functionality, as well as a Wi-Fi hotspot and a webcam + motion(1) [3] for surveillance as an experiment. This might be an alternative if you want a small, low-power combination of hardware and software for privacy- or security-oriented applications right now. The hardware was sadly too slow to handle 2 FPS @ 720P video capture from a Microsoft LifeCam HD 3000 camera but it was usable with a 640x480 no-name cam from eBay. I'm looking forward to mesh networking on OpenWrt. [1] A TP-Link TL-MR3020; it's $35 where I'm at. I also had to use a powered USB hub and a USB flash drive for a pivot overlay file system. [2] OpenWrt is quite possibly the most underrated Linux distribution from an administrative standpoint due to how it manages configuration and packages. See http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-mr3020 http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/tp-link/tl-mr3020 for how it handles my particular router model. [3] http://www.lavrsen.dk/foswiki/bin/view/Motion/WebHome http://www.lavrsen.dk/foswiki/bin/view/Motion/WebHome

networked 14y ago
On a related note, consider the implications of someone dropping a box like this somewhere where there's open (say, municipal) Wi-Fi and 5 V from solar power or the mains to feed it. NAT on the free Wi-Fi network could be circumvented through Freenet or a TOR hidden service. The attacker would then get an instant remote base of operations not traceable to him personally via billing or otherwise and a webcam to look over whatever. Unless he's caught by security cameras, of course. I'm not sure it's a better solution for actual (black hat) hackers than paying for a VPS with a prepaid gift card or bitcoin (unless they need the webcam) but there's certainly some spy-movie appeal to it.
- trotsky 14y ago
  While you're totally correct - and these plug computer type systems do get used for penetration tests at least, it's important to realize that Eben et al. don't make the hardware or cause it to happen - the project is to about making a privacy enhancing distro to run on one.
- iuguy 14y ago
  > On a related note, consider the implications of someone dropping a box like this somewhere where there's open (say, municipal) Wi-Fi and 5 V from solar power or the mains to feed it. Last year I did a talk at BlackHat EU on abusing MiFi hotspots to do this, only using the hotspot to attack the wifi network and tunnelling back over 3G to an out of band C2. I've got a lot further since then and have working PoCs that can do this. They're ugly, but they work and work well.
Torgo 14y ago
The original vision by Eben Moglen was to use "increasingly cheap ARM, $50-$100 devices that plug into the wall and are not much bigger than an AC adapter." Almost certainly referring to the Sheevaplug. But the reference platform for Freedombox is now a $160+ device with built-in wifi to replace my existing router. If we were going to go that direction I wish it would have used a cheap wifi router with OpenWRT as you have mentioned.
- ivan_ah 14y ago
  I know what you mean. I would have certainly liked something less expensive to play with too, but this $160 thing has two USB ports and an eSATA port which will definitely make things somewhat more interesting -- my SheevaPlug has been struggling to keep up with the USB disk access... I also saw that there is Gig ethernet on this "devkit"-yellow-thing. I am almost convinced of getting one, but I will sleep on it just to make sure this is not just an empty geeko-consumerism moment.
  - Torgo 14y ago
    In the end I have to agree. The Sheevaplug was simply not powerful enough for the vision. I hope that we can find something that can drop in price to make this possible.
- vy8vWJlco 14y ago
  If smartphones ever actually live up to the promise of being a pocket computer, in addition to their mission-critical enterprise gaming and network-locked NSA-friendly voice applications, everyone will already own the hardware for a freedom-hotspot. The phone-as-an-appliance concept has to be burned to its carbon atoms first though, and anti-competitive markets are the worst.

networked 14y ago

On a related note, consider the implications of someone dropping a box like this somewhere where there's open (say, municipal) Wi-Fi and 5 V from solar power or the mains to feed it. NAT on the free Wi-Fi network could be circumvented through Freenet or a TOR hidden service. The attacker would then get an instant remote base of operations not traceable to him personally via billing or otherwise and a webcam to look over whatever. Unless he's caught by security cameras, of course. I'm not sure it's a better solution for actual (black hat) hackers than paying for a VPS with a prepaid gift card or bitcoin (unless they need the webcam) but there's certainly some spy-movie appeal to it.

trotsky 14y ago
While you're totally correct - and these plug computer type systems do get used for penetration tests at least, it's important to realize that Eben et al. don't make the hardware or cause it to happen - the project is to about making a privacy enhancing distro to run on one.
iuguy 14y ago
> On a related note, consider the implications of someone dropping a box like this somewhere where there's open (say, municipal) Wi-Fi and 5 V from solar power or the mains to feed it. Last year I did a talk at BlackHat EU on abusing MiFi hotspots to do this, only using the hotspot to attack the wifi network and tunnelling back over 3G to an out of band C2. I've got a lot further since then and have working PoCs that can do this. They're ugly, but they work and work well.

Torgo 14y ago

The original vision by Eben Moglen was to use "increasingly cheap ARM, $50-$100 devices that plug into the wall and are not much bigger than an AC adapter." Almost certainly referring to the Sheevaplug. But the reference platform for Freedombox is now a $160+ device with built-in wifi to replace my existing router. If we were going to go that direction I wish it would have used a cheap wifi router with OpenWRT as you have mentioned.

ivan_ah 14y ago
I know what you mean. I would have certainly liked something less expensive to play with too, but this $160 thing has two USB ports and an eSATA port which will definitely make things somewhat more interesting -- my SheevaPlug has been struggling to keep up with the USB disk access... I also saw that there is Gig ethernet on this "devkit"-yellow-thing. I am almost convinced of getting one, but I will sleep on it just to make sure this is not just an empty geeko-consumerism moment.
- Torgo 14y ago
  In the end I have to agree. The Sheevaplug was simply not powerful enough for the vision. I hope that we can find something that can drop in price to make this possible.
vy8vWJlco 14y ago
If smartphones ever actually live up to the promise of being a pocket computer, in addition to their mission-critical enterprise gaming and network-locked NSA-friendly voice applications, everyone will already own the hardware for a freedom-hotspot. The phone-as-an-appliance concept has to be burned to its carbon atoms first though, and anti-competitive markets are the worst.