diff --git a/site/news/MANIFEST b/site/news/MANIFEST index c19e422..024bc60 100644 --- a/site/news/MANIFEST +++ b/site/news/MANIFEST @@ -1,3 +1,4 @@ +safety.md libreboot20230625.md microcode.md audit.md diff --git a/site/news/safety.md b/site/news/safety.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ab02452 --- /dev/null +++ b/site/news/safety.md @@ -0,0 +1,137 @@ +% Safety issues updating Libreboot on Sandybridge/Ivybridge/Haswell +% Leah Rowe +% 7 July 2023 + +Introduction +============ + +As I write this post, [Libreboot 20230625](libreboot20230625.md) recently came +out. There's technically nothing unsafe about the release itself, but certain +users have been bricking their machines, on the following mainboards: + +* Sandybridge platforms (e.g. ThinkPad X220, T420) +* Ivybridge platforms (e.g. ThinkPad X230, T430) +* Haswell platforms (e.g. ThinkPad T440p, W541) + +Why? +---- + +On these platforms, the following binary blobs are required: + +* Intel ME firmware: all Sandy/Ivy/Haswell boards. Libreboot's build system + runs `me_cleaner` to neuter the Intel ME, so that it's disabled after BringUp. +* Intel MRC firmware: Haswell platforms (W541, T440p) - a libre MRC replacement + is available, but experimental, and the blob version is still recommended. +* KBC1126 EC firmware: HP laptops (all sandy/ivy/haswell) + +When you [build Libreboot from source](../docs/build/), Libreboot's automated +build system (lbmk) automatically downloads these blobs directly from the +hardware vendor, and inserts them into the ROM during build time. + +However, these blobs are not redistributable, so Libreboot's build system (lbmk) +automatically scrubs (deletes) these blobs, from each ROM image, prior to +archiving the ROM images for release. + +What this means is exactly as implied: + +If you simply flash the release ROMs as-is, *without* modification, you will +be flashing them *without* these required blobs. This is exactly what some +people have been doing. + +Instructions are given here, for how to insert these blobs on release ROMs: + +[Insert binary blobs on Sandybridge/Ivybridge/Haswell](../docs/install/ivy_has_common.md) + +The linked guide makes use of `blobutil`, lbmk's single centralised utility that +handles *all* firmwares, automatically for each given mainboard. It can +automatically download and insert all of the following: + +* Intel ME firmware +* Intel MRC firmware +* KBC1126 EC firmware +* VGA ROM for Nvidia GPU, on Nvidia variant of Dell Latitude E6400 (which is + still, as of this post, not in lbmk's master branch, but available in a + different branch of lbmk, though the logic for downloading the VGA ROM and + inserting it *is* included in lbmk master) + +More information is available in the guide. + +What can be done to reduce the risk? +------------------------------------ + +Like I said, there's technically nothing wrong with recent Libreboot releases. + +The main problem is that Libreboot *documentation* did not prominently warn +about this issue. Such warnings *were* available on Libreboot, but were not +prominently displayed. Such warnings are now littered all throughout the +Libreboot documentation, even mentioned in bold lettering at the top of the +downloads page, so there's no way a user can miss it. + +Other mitigations considered +----------------------------- + +See: + +In this issue page, I outline ways to further reduce the risk. On the platforms +affected by this, the flash is divided into the following regions: + +* IFD region +* GbE region +* ME region +* BIOS region + +The IFD region configures the machine, and specifies read/write capability for +host CPU when flashing all regions, including IFD. + +GbE contains NIC configuration, including MAC address, for intel gigabit NIC. + +ME region is Intel ME firmware. + +BIOS region is coreboot. + +Per the issue page, I intend to implement the following regime in future +Libreboot releases, on the affected machines: + +* If BIOS region blob-free (no MRC/EC firmware needed): set IFD, GbE and BIOS + regions read-write by default, but lock the ME region. +* If BIOS region requires blobs inserted: set IFD and GbE regions read-write + by default, but lock the ME and BIOS regions. + +In this configuration, internal flashing would still be possible, so that you +do not have to disassemble the machine, but *two* flashes would be needed: + +* Firstly, re-flash IFD that unlocks ME/BIOS regions +* Then ensure that the ROMs are properly prepared, and re-flash the entire + ROM with IFD once again re-flashed to set ME and/or BIOS region read-only. + +Under this configuration, we would still have the reality where some people +don't read documentation, but if they don't read documentation, they will +then just run flashrom on ROM images as-is, and it won't work. This will cause +one of three possible scenarios: + +* They don't bother updating, and therefore avoid bricking their machine +* They complain on IRC/reddit, and we point them to instructions for how to + deal with it - then they update their machine, and likely don't brick it + anymore. +* They read the documentation from the start. + +Under this regime, some users may still brick their machines. For example, +they might read the instructions for how to unlock regions, and then still +flash a ROM image without running `blobutil` on it - there is nothing we +can really do to prevent this, short of simply locking *all* regions, including +the IFD region (if we did that, then users would need to externally re-flash +their machine when updating). + +Libreboot's policy is to make updates as easy as possible, but these extra +precautions are required on the newer Intel platforms. + +When this is implemented in Libreboot, this page will be updated, and info +about it will be added to the installation/update instructions. I'm also +considering whether to apply this change *retroactively* on older release ROMs, +for all of these releases: 20221214, 20230319, 20230413, 20230423 and 20230625. + +That's all for now. Please take care when updating or installing Libreboot. +Libreboot is generally well-tested and with good release engineering, but you +must ALWAYS read the documentation. This is true of any software, but it is +*especially* true of Libreboot. Please take care not to brick your machine. +Thanks!