On Friday, July 10, 2020 4:12:42 AM MST Przemek Klosowski via devel wrote:
On 7/10/20 5:06 AM, Nicolas Mailhot wrote:
> The problem IOT side is not the security of the
> software update chain. The problem is that manufacturers skimp on
> software updates in the first place
Yes, that's the situation right now: everyone has a custom firmware tied
to a short product cycle---so new versions and fixes have to be
developed separately by everyone. This does not scale, and so it doesn't
happen most of the time. I think the only long-term solution is a wide
use of platforms, such as Android or Fedora.
My point is that however the updates are being produced, they need a
secure remote update method. It's not realistic to expect end users to
be in the loop---it doesn't scale to the size the IOT is going to be.
Moreover, without the secure method, any vulnerability can be easily
converted to persistent breakage.
Android, actually, is trying to get it right by a) being a platform so
that common security updates are available from the platform owner, and
can be applied to everyone's system and b) having a secure remote update
method.
The problem with implementing systems such as this is obvious.. If the end
user cannot upload their own firmware, because the host has a hardware
mechanism for checking the signature of the firmware, that's not good for the
end user, it's harmful. It would mean they don't actually own the system, the
vendor does.
--
John M. Harris, Jr.