Subject:
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Re: Off topic: secure channel to the RCX
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Tue, 22 Feb 2000 17:39:25 GMT
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Original-From:
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Stephen P. Gibbons <steve@aztech.net#stopspam#>
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Viewed:
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824 times
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Mario Ferrari wrote:
> Stephen P. Gibbons <lego-robotics@crynwr.com> wrote:
> > What follows in this message will probably appear quite strange
> > to many of the readers on this list, and I apologize in andvance,
> > and encourage you to delete/skip this message if it seems too
> > whacky.
> >
> > It occured to me that one of my favorite toys, the Lego
> > RCX has a horribly insecure data/code transfer mechanism
> > (plaintext over IR), and that if I ever entered my constructed-
> > of-Lego robot into a contest with serious competition (like the
> > NSA, or more likeley some equally well funded coompetition
> > with furiners that were backed by their own government),
> > that I might lose the competition because they had subverted
> > my software on the robot, and replaced my wizardly coping-
> > with-mazes code with "follow the wall on your right side" code.
> > (Hopefully they at least optimized the RHR better than I have,
> > and I might see an improvement in the 'bot's performance... ;-)
>
> :-)))
>
> Two ideas:
> 1) software protection: use legOS or pbForth or QC instead of standard
> firmware.
Yeah, that's what I was originally thinking of.
> 2) hardware protection: build a barrier of solid bricks around the IR
> receiver of your RCX to insulate it from intereferences. To be applied
> *after* you downloaded your code and before entering the contest :-)
And since the barrier would be made of bricks, one _could_ say that this
that this construct should be lumped in with everything else that calls
itself
a fire_wall_... :-) The drawback to this approach is that the RCX loses
all communications ability after the firewall is in place, which may or
may
not be the proper security or operational stance in every case.
--
S
"Paranoia strikes deep\ Into your heart it will creep\ It starts when
you're always afraid\ (Step outta line, the man come and take you away)"
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Off topic: secure channel to the RCX
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| (...) :-))) Two ideas: 1) software protection: use legOS or pbForth or QC instead of standard firmware. 2) hardware protection: build a barrier of solid bricks around the IR receiver of your RCX to insulate it from intereferences. To be applied (...) (25 years ago, 22-Feb-00, to lugnet.robotics)
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