26 (edited by rubenro 2008-03-24 15:30:21)

Re: what if Chumby Industries were to go away?

sevc wrote:

3 questions.
1.  could I also save those sound files to my USB?

Yes - see post #10.


sevc wrote:

2.  what would happen if I could, and I used up all of the space on my USB?

Probably nothing would happen to the Chumby device except a error hidden to the end user claiming that the USB file system would be full.



sevc wrote:

3.  could chumby industries use the chumby to spy on the lives of all of its users?  like, can you read all of our incoming and (sometimes) outgoing mail, listen to our conversations and study our interests? (not that I think you'd ever do that, just wondering if you could.)

Everything is possible - in theory.

However, in practice, what you ask is not easy to achieve. First - the Chumby have too few input devices (screen + sound), secondly as long as the Chumby is not used a gateway your communication should be safe. The only "case" I see is  where your computer and your Chumby share the same WiFi connection - but given the open nature of the device this would quickly be known in the Chumby community.


<continued in the next message>

The first(?) Norwegian Chumby user!

Re: what if Chumby Industries were to go away?

<continued from previous post - the PunBB does not like big messages :-( >

There are easier way to spy on end users Internet behaviour than using the Chumby - just get your victims to install a "browser bar" or other kind of spy-ware. Most users have these already.

Using the Chumby to spy on the Internet activity is just plain stupid seen from any point of view.

Personally I am more concerned about the low level tech working for your local ISP.  A lot of smaller (and bigger) ISPs give their technical people full access to all systems in the name of "maintenance" and "support".

Given that
1) they know which customers connects from where
2) all traffic goes through the ISP
3) they probably know how to use etherdump(1) and/or Wireshark(1)
4) know how to cover their tracks
make them ideal sources for Internet wiretapping.

This is how you do it:
1) Do some simple social engineering and find out who are the techs at the victims ISP
2) Find out which one of them is unhappy with his/her job but also love money
3) Befriend them - buy them gifts, whatever make them tick (women, booze, gadgets, etc)
4) Depending on age and phase of life - put anything from USD 1.000,- and upwards on the table to get them to dump all data for a given customer and pass that data on to you

This is so much easier than using any "in place" technical means at the victim's premesis - and a heck more effective than even consider using a device like the Chumby, a cell phone, the toaster or the TiVo box to achieve the same result...

\Ruben

The first(?) Norwegian Chumby user!