An OpenPhoenux talk given at P.I.W.O. X (Pozna¨½ Free Software Event) at 2014-05-17.
Problem of openness, user freedom and privacy in modern smartphones and other mobile devices. Introduction to Neo900 project and it's unique take on user's privacy.
Recording (in Polish): http://neo900.org/stuff/piwo/wolne-mobilne-gdy-android-to-za-malo.ogg - "Wolne Mobile - gdy Android to za ma?o"
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Free Mobile - when Android is not enough
1. Free Mobile
...when Android is not enough.
Sebastian
Krzyszkowiak
dos
http://dosowisko.net/
P.I.W.O. X
Pozna¨½, 17.05.2014
CC-BY-SA 4.0
http://neo900.org/piwo/
2. 2
Agenda
¡ñ
Hardware
¨C The history of Openmoko
¨C Raise of the Phoenux
¨C Neo900
¡ñ
Privacy and GSM (and what Neo900 can offer there)
¡ñ
Software
¨C Community-based mobile operating systems
¨C freesmartphone.org middleware
¨C Demo + live coding!
3. 3
When Android is not enough?
¡ñ
Completely custom userspace
¡ñ
Long term support? You'd wish.
¡ñ
Sure, it's open... but
¨C Is your Android device open as well?
¨C Can you influence its development?
¨C Can you use it with FLOSS only?
¡ñ
There is Replicant. But... is it compatible with your phone?
¨C Can you replace it? No, I don't mean ?modding¡±.
7. 7
Not really.
¡ñ
Repeating Android mistakes with
undocumented, closed and locked-down
hardware
¡ñ
Limited paradigms
¡ñ
Customer friendly
¨C Yes, sometimes it can be a flaw.
¡ñ
Not completely FLOSS!
9. 9
The Hardware Problem
¡ñ
I'm the admin of my PC.
Why can't I be the admin of my phone as
well?
¡ñ
We don't use App Stores on Pcs.
Why should we need them on phones?
¡ñ
We can choose from hundreds of systems to
install on PC.
Why can't we do that on mobiles as well?
10. 10
The Hardware Problem
Does a cellphone really differ so much from
your average laptop?
It doesn't.
It's just smaller and more integrated.
11. 11
The Hardware Problem
¡ñ
Lack of documentation
¡ñ
Closed components
¡ñ
Porting ¨C the neverending story
¡ñ
Upstream? In your dreams.
¡ñ
When you have to break into your own
device in order to use it as you wish,
something is completely wrong!
12. 12
The Wise Quote Time
?The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt
the world to himself. Therefore all progress
depends on the unreasonable man.¡±
George Bernard Shaw
19. 19
Neo Freerunner GTA02
¡ñ
Released July 3, 2008
¡ñ
Samsung s3c2442 @ 400 MHz
¡ñ
SMedia Glamo 3362
¡ñ
256 MB NAND flash
¡ñ
Unbrickable bootloader
¡ñ
WiFi, u-blox GPS
¡ñ
Powered USB host mode
¡ñ
Around 15 000 units sold
20. 20
Neo Freerunner GTA02
¡ñ
Glamo graphics accelerator
turned out to be a decceletator
¡ñ
Famous hw problems (GSM
buzz, deep sleep), but fixable
with some soldering
21. 21
GTA03 / 3D7K
Speculated specs:
¡ñ
Cinterion MC75i 2.75G modem
¡ñ
Cameras
¡ñ
Samsung s3c6410 @ 533MHz / 667MHz / 800MHz with
integrated 3D accelerator
¡ñ
Unique, transparent case made by famous
designer
¡ñ
Cancelled in 2009.
23. 23
The rise.
¡ñ
Fortunately, there's an amazing community!
¨C Some software support for Neo Freerunner still
exists!
¨C New hardware initiatives appear.
33. 33
Nokia N900
¡ñ
First Maemo based phone
¡ñ
Released November 11, 2009
¡ñ
Hacker friendly, with fully free kernel and no
restrictions in bootloader
¡ñ
Still active Maemo 5 community
34. 34
Neo900
Merge of GTA04 and Nokia N900
http://neo900.org/
Neo900Finally the first true successor to the N900.
Following the FOSS spirit of Openmoko.
38. 38
Neo900
¡ñ
Right now donations are temporarily
suspended due to reorganisation.
¡ñ
The raised amount may change due to
having to pay it back :(
¡ñ
New way to collect the money starting soon
¡ñ
Stay informed: http://neo900.org/subscribe
40. 40
Open baseband?
¡ñ
Unfortunately, it's not going to happen for
both economical and legal reasons.
¡ñ
Basebands are cryptographically locked and
any change in their firmware results in
revokation of their certification, rendering
them illegal to use in public networks.
43. 43
The threats
¡ñ
Tracking
¨C Trilateration based (IPL, OTDOA, E-OTD, U-TDOA)
¨C GPS-assisted (RRLP)
¡ñ
Eavesdropping
¡ñ
Data leakage
¡ñ
Security bugs in firmware
¡ñ
Direct access to main RAM
44. 44
Not solvable
¡ñ
Eavesdropping of calls
¡ñ
Eavesdropping of Internet connection
¡ñ
Trilateration while connected to the network
It can (and does) happen outside of the device or
is necessary for it to function. Aside from
encryption, there's nothing we can do against it.
47. 47
Neo900 design
¡ñ
If the modem is compromised, the main system
remains safe use the encryption, Luke
¡ñ
If the modem is supposed to be off, but it isn't ¨C
we know that and can react accordingly
¡ñ
If the GPS is in use when not requested ¨C we
know that but the antenna will be disabled :)
¡ñ
If the modem tries to record audio when not
requested ¨C we know that but it won't be able to do it :)
49. 49
Neo900 concept
¡ñ
This way, when something fishy is going on,
software kicks off an alarm to make user do
efficient measures to stop the threat:
¨C Removing the battery
¨C Destroying the device
¨C Hiding it under the seat in bus and leaving
¡ñ
With basic solutions like external power switch,
user is not aware that his device has been
tampered with.
50. 50
Neo900 design
¡ñ
Our monitoring approach can also reveal
some ?rogue¡± activities from outside ¨C like
packet-storms on airports.
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/20
14/04/gogo_wireless_a.html#c5459667
64. 64
freesmartphone.org
¡ñ
A set of D-Bus APIs to get the most out of
your smartphone
¡ñ
Full-fledged GSM middleware (fsogsmd)
¡ñ
Resource handling daemon (fsousaged)
¡ñ
Power management etc. (fsodeviced)
¡ñ
...and more!
¡ñ
http://docs.freesmartphone.org/