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"Dead Drops" is an anonymous, offline, p2p file-sharing network in public space

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Re: "Dead Drops" is an anonymous, offline, p2p file-sharing network in public space

#41

Fun concept, but I immediately imagine someone going around smashing these with a hammer (or, perhaps more likely, city workers being sent out to remove them). :\ Here's a much more expensive project with a similar idea: http://torrentfreak.com/kiosk-of-piracy-an-offline-copy-of-t...

You don't even need malicious intent. Mishandle the computer while it's plugged in to the stick and you'd likely damage it pretty quickly.

Yeah, you'd want to use a short USB extension cable.

Re: "Dead Drops" is an anonymous, offline, p2p file-sharing network in public space

#43
post #14
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it's a big deal for people running linux!

You think incorrectly and having that assumption, you're exposing yourself to more risk. To assume Linux USB drivers, file systems and file managers don't contain vulnerabilities is to assume wrong.

Sure, there is also the potential threat of someone breaking into my home/office and installing secret videocameras to record my keyboard and get my truecrypt password (or more easily, opening the "safe" and figuring out what string of characters in a certain notebook is it). However, I don't worry about such things, and neither would I worry connecting a random usb to my practically disposable netbook.

Re: "Dead Drops" is an anonymous, offline, p2p file-sharing network in public space

#45
post #12

It is a bad idea to plug untrusted hardware into your computer. Many Windows users have autorun enabled, so could be infected with malware as soon as they plug it in. This has been exploited by people pretending to run promotions and handing out infected USB drives in front of targeted businesses. Worse than autorun, there have been buffer overflows against USB drivers and proof-of-concept exploits that allowed Firew…

Not even just that, but someone could rig up a USB plug that shorted out the power (or, worse, rammed 9V from a battery back up it) and cream your USB port..

Re: "Dead Drops" is an anonymous, offline, p2p file-sharing network in public space

#46

I have thought for ages of something like this, but instead of usb drivers, a wifi box with a big harddisk. You would connect to the wireless network, open browser at 192.168.0.1 and instead of a router's page, you would get to a website, with a nice interface, where you could select the files you wanted to download or upload others. I even did some drawing and thought of solar pannels and batteries to keep it going…

Don't wireless networks know the other parties MAC IDs?

[deleted]

Re: "Dead Drops" is an anonymous, offline, p2p file-sharing network in public space

#47

I have thought for ages of something like this, but instead of usb drivers, a wifi box with a big harddisk. You would connect to the wireless network, open browser at 192.168.0.1 and instead of a router's page, you would get to a website, with a nice interface, where you could select the files you wanted to download or upload others. I even did some drawing and thought of solar pannels and batteries to keep it going…

Don't wireless networks know the other parties MAC IDs?

Linux: http://www.alobbs.com/macchanger/

Mac OS: sudo ifconfig en0 lladdr

Windows: http://www.nthelp.com/NT6/change_mac_w2k.htm

Re: "Dead Drops" is an anonymous, offline, p2p file-sharing network in public space

#50
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Someone could always re-wire the thing into mains power, in all probability destroying anything connected to it regardless of any software it might be running.

Not to mention potentially killing the next person to try to use it.

Since you can only touch one conductor of a USB connector at a time (or really at all) unless you stick your tongue into it, then any mains power applied to it is going to be hard pressed to cause you anything besides an uncomfortable tingling.
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