* Trond Danielsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [2007-01-29 18:30:05]: > 2007/1/29, Vim Visual <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > >Which cards in that list are comparable in quality to the intel 2200BG > >but do not require blobs? > > > > The ipw2200 is not the only one that requires a binary firmware to be > loaded into network card to be funtional. Others may disagree, but I > think there is a difference between a binary blob that is inserted > into the kernel (for instance Nvidia drivers for linux), and firmware > that runs on a peripheral device. I have had no problems with ipw2200 > in openbsd. > > -- > Trond Danielsen > >
Well I think both are equally dangerous (binary firmware and binary drivers.) They're basically the same thing. But for all practical reasons, it would be time consuming/very difficult to write our own firmwares for every damn device that needs them. (2.4 radios, BIOSes, etc.) As of right now, the best way into a system through a binary driver is probably through the various wireless devices Open supports. Most attacks of this variety are probably going to be targeted against windows hosts. Additionally, this attack vector does not yield a lot of compromised boxen, so it's not very efficient. All you're probably going to see with these sorts of attacks is proof-of-concept. If someone was targeting you specifically, there would be easier ways than sploiting a bin firmware. -- Travers Buda
