Governments request remote OLPC kill switch

If a stolen OLPC laptop is connected to the internet it will lock up completely

The head of security at the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project has developed a powerful anti-theft tool that locks the machine if it is stolen.

Ivan Krstić explained that if a stolen laptop is connected to the internet the "anti-theft demon" would know that the laptop is stolen and lock the machine so that it would require activation to function.

Krstić is the author of the Bitfrost security specification for the OLPC programme, which outlines several security measures for the laptops.

"A thief might do several things with a laptop: use it to connect to the internet, remove it from any networks and attempt to use it as a standalone machine, or take it apart for parts," he said.

Krstić explained that a stolen laptop would have its unique identifying number reported to the country's OLPC oversight body in charge of the anti-theft service, at which point the laptop would be marked as stolen in the country's database.

The problem of the laptops being stripped and sold for parts is mitigated by the fact that there are no high worth individual components as everything is soldered onto the motherboard.

If the thief attempts to use the laptop completely offline, the OLPC security programme includes a cryptographic 'lease' system so that the laptop has to authenticate itself from time to time.

This can only be achieved by going online or connecting a special USB key when a connection is unavailable.

The duration of the lease can be set by each country, and if it expires the laptop will shut itself down and lock up until it is reactivated.