Arig project(was: [HAIFUX LECTURE] Mesh Neworks | Hacking the T3lc0 Model - Amir Sagie)

[Michael Vasiliev]

On 08/18/2011 02:27 PM, Orna Agmon Ben-Yehuda wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> This is a pre-announcement for the next Haifux talk on Monday, August
> 29th, which is NOT this coming Monday, when we will gather to hear
> Amir Sagie of the Arig project ( אמיר שגיא מפרוייקט אריג)
>
> Abstract:
> Want to build your own Telco? you'll probable need mesh power. Avoid
> past mistakes by learning about the history of mesh networks, hear how
> the first wi-fi router was liberated & be sure to checkout what we're
> doing in project Arig (אריג), here in Israel!
>
> Be sure to attend the router emancipation party afterwords: bring your
> wi-fi router & wash away all it's sins by flashing it with a Foss OS
> such as OpenWRT. complete redemption guaranteed.
>
> See also http://arig.org.il
>
I have an already liberated router with OpenWRT and, of course, a
tinkerer such as me would not pass the opportunity. A few comments though:

Providing a service that tempts to connect and use and immediately
exposes its users' data to anyone listening is worse than providing no
service at all. I suggest using WPA2-PSK with an easy key (*) or
WPA2-EAP with a centralized authentication server over the Internet,
since the connection infrastructure is already there.

Legally-wise:
Providing free Internet access is, AFAIK, something that requires a
license. The sad story of "Surfree" comest to mind. Moreover,a body
providing internet access via devices that are not in its posession,
without any agreement with the equipment owner is an interesting legal
precedent. Such projects usually look good as far as nothing bad
happens, but once someone commits something unlawful using this
connection, who will be the person responsible? The equipment owner does
not have any logs of connection use and therefore responsible for the
outbound nastiness. Notice that every time you connect to a free wifi
network, run by an ISP, in Ben-Gurion airport or anywhere else, you have
to agree to the blanket sheet of terms of service.

The "node map" page of the wiki is empty. Does that mean that I'm the
first one to ever consider making one? Again, it is not clear what such
map should include. GPS coordinates and street addresses, including
floors, of nodes?


(*) AFAIK, again. I believe that the key exchange in CCMP is
algorithmically unrelated to the PSK as seeding data, but I don't know
for sure. I suggest we summon Orr, our resident crypto wizard?

--
MichaelV