$100 laptop for developing world poses IT security concerns
Mesh network system could turn a small African village into the largest botnet in the world; program’s enemies aim at the “$100 brick”
It sounds like a good idea on its face: build a $100 laptop computer that could be distributed to children in the developing world. Also known as the “Children’s Machine”, the initiative is intended to improve worldwide access to knowledge and modern communications. There is just one problem, argues Simson Garfinkel of Washington Technology. “These laptops will be widely deployed to children who have no training in computer security, computer use or much of anything else, in some cases.” Worst of all, the $100 computers have been designed to operate as wireless routers as part of a mesh network design intended to ease Internet access across villiages. “Hackers could steal a laptop, find a vulnerability and then write a worm to wirelessly hop from laptop to laptop, turning them all into the largest botnet that the world had ever seen.” And the
One Laptop per Child project does have enemies, from both sides of the politicall spectrum: leftists who think the $100 should be used to fulfill more fundamental needs; and religious fundamentalists who object to the secular culture available on the Internet.
