linux-kernel - Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3

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Date:	Mon, 18 Jun 2007 09:22:21 +1000
From:	Bron Gondwana <brong@...tmail.fm>
To:	Chris Adams <cmadams@...aay.net>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3

On Sun, Jun 17, 2007 at 04:58:40PM -0500, Chris Adams wrote:
> Once upon a time, Jesper Juhl <jesper.juhl@...il.com> said:
> >Let's say I'm the owner of a company selling some device that uses a
> >GPLv2 OS and some GPLv2 applications to do the job. Let's say that for
> >some reason I don't want the end users of my device to tinker with the
> >software inside my device.  Obviously I release the source for any
> >modifications I may have made, but I use the hardware to prevent users
> >from installing modified versions on the device (basically I TiVO'ize
> >the device).
> 
> BTW: Another reason a vendor might lock down the device is for security.
> For example, Juniper routers (which now run a significant portion of the
> "core" of the Internet) run FreeBSD on the routing engine.  They include
> several GNU software utilities (for example gawk, diff, and gdb).
> Starting with JUNOS 7.6 (IIRC), end-users can no longer build and run
> their own binaries on the routing engine.  This means that the GPLv2
> code cannot be modified in-place (similar to TiVo altough done using
> different means).
> 
> The reason is that if there ever is a security hole in the routing
> engine software (FreeBSD kernel, OpenSSH, etc.), it would be a really
> bad thing if crackers could load arbitrary software (rootkits, spam
> software, etc.) directly on Internet core routers.  If you think spam
> zombies on cable modems or DSL are bad, imagine them on 100 megabit
> links!

To be fair here, this could also be accomplished by having to flip a
physical switch on the router, especially if you did something funky
like:

[---] push this button for a 5 minute access pass to upload new
      software through physical cable port 1.

More complex, but not unreasonable.

Bron.
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