Lightning:Neo900
| Description | Neo900 is a project that aims to make an open smartphone that incorporates a number of novel security features that can help to detect and/or suppress rogue behaviour of untrusted subsystems. |
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| Slides | https://neo900.org/stuff/werner/light/light.pdf |
| Website(s) | http://neo900.org/ |
| Tags | smartphone, hardware, security |
| Person organizing | User:Wpwrak |
| Contact: | werner@almesberger.net |
| Language | en - English |
| Duration | 5 |
| Desired session | Day 2 |
| Desired timeframe | 16:30, 17:00/5PM, 17:30, 18:00/6PM |
The Neo900 project aims to build an open smartphone, combining lessons learned from Openmoko and its spiritual successor, the GTA04 by Golden Delicious Computers, with the proven Maemo open source platform.
This combination is crucial because it creates a rare opportunity to reuse large amounts of prior open source work (software and hardware) with very few changes, and thus reduces the vast complexity of developing a modern smartphone to a more manageable level.
One major weakness of modern smartphones - and in fact most consumer electronics - is that there are large subsystems that execute closed code and are thus barred from public review. One therefore cannot ascertain that these systems are not subverted. In fact, in light of recent and still on-going revelations on the reach of state actors and the - sometimes forced, sometimes voluntary - promiscuity the industry has exhibited, we should not expect anything less.
Designed with a strong focus on privacy, the Neo900 architecture incorporates various mechanisms to monitor communication functions and to detect or directly suppress aberrant behaviour. Furthermore, it generally confines subsystems, in order to limit the mischief they can do.
