[U-Boot] Password protection of U-Boot command line

Wolfgang Denk
2012-02-11T00:44:13Z

Dear Frans,

In message <CACW_hTY7sv6q+Y9+ojkg2PNJ4GRt0rwKHAHzaSb2SGxYHrioRQ@mail.gmail.com> you wrote:
>
> > If you want security, then don;t allow access to U-Boot at all, and
> > run an OS. There you can do fancy things, including password
> > protection.
>
> The issue is mainly that we would like a service engineer to upgrade
> if for some reason the os goes into a not recoverable fault, without
> an operator accidently (or on purpose) bumping into it

This is a perfectly reasonable requirement. But it needs to be
designed in, but providing things like fall back to a previous
version, or to a recovery configuration. U-Boot supports allthis, you
just have to use it.

Passwords are not a tool that would help here.

> > Do you realize that you are already talking how to maintain this
> > "security" level in Linux? Then also implement it there! That's
> > where such stuff belongs to.
> >
> probably yes. my concern is mostly about being able to repair systems
> where something is broken and the kernel does not come up as desired
> but also does not crash and bring us back to u-boot (like what happens
> if a crc is faulty).
>
> What Mike suggests in a subsequent message of using is more or less
> secret key is probably already enough for us.

No. What you are looking for is a reliable recovery for a failed
software update or an otherwise corrupted system. That's a completely
different topic - but it's standard techology, and nothing to worry
about.

Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

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