linuxboot / linuxboot/heads-wiki

Update write protection docs after testing

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Description

https://osresearch.net/Heads-threat-model/#write-protecting-the-bios-chip-advanced

Write protection could be applied today with Nlnet funded related work inside of dasharo/flashrom, to protect at least coreboot's bootblock region.

But from current documentation, bootblock being near the end of CBFS, but not at a fixed area is problematic for internal firmware upgrades, locking 64kb of space that could lead to brick if coreboot version upgrades are to be applied.

To be tested and documentation at least referred for people willing to sacrifice internal flashing of Heads when a coreboot version bump touching bootblock changes occurred (still untested on my side).

To be addressed when dasharo/flashrom includes kgpe-d16 ast1000 support, currently missing so that flashrom used under Heads is not causing any regression.

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First steps

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  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the linked Heads threat-model write-protection section and verify the stated behavior with dasharo/flashrom, including kgpe-d16 ast1000 support. Done means the write-protection and coreboot bootblock upgrade risks are tested and the documentation explains the results and limitations.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
documentation
Issue type
Documentation
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
42/100

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