from Hacker News

Bought a Prison Laptop on eBay

by dgudkov on 2/25/24, 5:50 AM with 44 comments

  • by wilted-iris on 2/25/24, 6:09 AM

  • by jaynetics on 2/25/24, 7:46 AM

    Justice Tech Solutions offers a version of this laptop that has the "Endless Justice" OS preinstalled. This is a derivative of the Endless Linux distro. What I found amusing about this (apart from the involuntarily dystopian name) is that it apparently has dozens of games preinstalled, so there are probably a few convicts playing solitaire in class, just like normal people do.

    https://www.worldpossiblejustice.org/layer-1-securebooks/end...

  • by wtracy on 2/25/24, 7:16 AM

    In case anyone else was wondering why this would even exist, it's for education in rehabilitation programs: https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/insidecdcr/2022/08/18/secure-laptops...

    "The laptops contain standard Microsoft Office applications, a link to the Division of Rehabilitative Programs (DRP) Learning Network, and pre-loaded approved bookmarks. This gives students access to Internet sites approved by academic instructors as appropriate for research."

  • by userbinator on 2/25/24, 7:50 AM

    And at least for the BIOS version I have (and the BIOS V06 available on the website), there is a default password.

    Unfortunately no mention of lkwpeter, AMI_SW, or aLLy -- those would be my instinctive guesses. However, I'm puzzled that he didn't just try to clear the default password from the BIOS image before flashing it, or try a BIOS image from a different model with similar hardware; Apollo Lake SoC with an IT8987 is not exactly a rare combination --- Clevo W515PU uses that, for example.

    Anyone else have guesses on what the OEM/ODM for this was? The APL09_MB_V10 identifier makes me lean towards LCFC/Compal, but the complete lack of component designators is odd, and Compal mobos are usually blue. Quanta and Wistron tend to go for green mobos, from what I've seen. Can't rule out Pegatron either.

  • by evanjrowley on 2/25/24, 6:02 AM

    Prison laptops are clear so the insides can be checked for threats, contraband, etc.

    I wonder if they do the same with the source code.

  • by sva_ on 2/25/24, 9:05 AM

    > The specs are: Celeron N3450 + 4GB SKhynix LPDDR3 + Intel Wireless 7625

    Aren't they being punished enough by being in prison?

    Jokes aside, with such hardware and a lot of time on your hands you could really dig into practicing your low-level development skills, given there is some compiler.

  • by _def on 2/25/24, 8:57 AM

    > So I quickly connected a USB Hub onto it. I decided to use the USB signal on the touchpad connector, because I am a bit too lazy to figure out the pinout of the dock connector.

    I love this so much. I'm totally a hardware noob but even I thought "there has to be USB somewhere right". This whole inspection is amazing and shows that it's very much possible to take back control over your hardware. Sure, this is specifically locked down for prisons, but you could also think of it like a consumer device from a dystopian future. Let's fight against that together with libre open source hardware & software projects.

  • by Animats on 2/25/24, 8:32 AM

    You can buy these things new.[1]

    They only connect to a custom "docking station". No standard ports. WiFi is available.

    [1] https://justicetechsolutions.com/

  • by rwmj on 2/25/24, 9:42 AM

    Techmoan did a video about prison TVs and radios: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3PfsndsihY

  • by krasin on 2/25/24, 6:38 AM

  • by vldr on 2/26/24, 9:07 AM

    I expected the escape key to have been removed.

  • by bcrl on 2/27/24, 1:19 AM

    Why does the service formerly known as Twitter take 4 seconds to load that link for me?

  • by renewiltord on 2/25/24, 6:34 PM

    justice1

  • by hakdbha on 2/25/24, 6:13 AM

    Twitter