Purism Planning For Three Hardware Kill Switches With The Librem 5

[hawkinsw]

I don't think so.

In fact, it's the very reason that I pre-ordered!

[edwaleni]

I get it, people want protection from software attacks, but the phone will not be impervious to surveillance with the switches turned off.

Tapping the screen gives off RF that can be determined. They will need to shield it.

And yes, much software uses the telemetry the phone provides beyond GPS/GLONASS to determine usage and behaviors.

[Slithery]

I can understand why they'd want kill switches for the camera, microphone and various network hardware, but the ... ambient light... sensor?

How about flashing in a certain pattern that causes an overflow?
Better safe than sorry

Just to clarify, by flashing I mean directing photons not altering memory.

[Almindor]

I see the "everything is fine" group is up and running with their tinfoil finger pointers. I'm glad that this is being added. It should be the standard.

[FastCode]

They can have my money.

[CochainComplex]

Tin foil hat included?

I hope they add some ground wire to it. Otherwise it is not really effective.

[skeevy420]

I can understand why they'd want kill switches for the camera, microphone and various network hardware, but the proximity, ambient light and IMU* sensors? Because that sounds almost like they're just turning off everything that isn't absolutely necessary to run the device. I say almost because they're still leaving the USB port and memory card reader active if I understood correctly (both of them, particularly the USB port, being potential attack vectors).

*Basically a combination gyroscope and accelerometer

If someone has physical access, USB and memory card kill switches become a moot point since they're not either wireless or are able to be used to gather information. All the rest that the Lockdown mode triggers have been shown to be potential attack vectors, like using proximity and ambient light data to figure out where a person is pressing the screen to figure out what is being typed, get the unlock pattern, etc.

[L_A_G]

I can understand why they'd want kill switches for the camera, microphone and various network hardware, but the proximity, ambient light and IMU* sensors? Because that sounds almost like they're just turning off everything that isn't absolutely necessary to run the device. I say almost because they're still leaving the USB port and memory card reader active if I understood correctly (both of them, particularly the USB port, being potential attack vectors).

*Basically a combination gyroscope and accelerometer

[skeevy420]

A little bit of a overkill, don't you think?

Not really. I intentionally cripple BT on my phones. I don't use BT anything so it is nothing but a gaping security hole...especially so since they've found BT phone hacking devices at gas stations where I live and fake, but real looking and acting, WiFi networks in hospitals and stores used for MITM attacks.

[johanb]

I think the Librem 5 has more important things to solve currently than adding this Lockdown mode, but it's a good and welcome idea.