Werner Almesberger wrote:
Our current hardware doesn't allow Flash protection to be done
sensibly :-( So software/user input can in fact brick a machine to
the point where the only recovery possible is through JTAG, e.g.,
with the debug board.
I'm not saying this isn't a nice feature.
Why should a phone be better in this respect than a PC?
If you want to, you can brick a PC, if you've got root, to the state
where it will need the flash removed and re-flashed.
Surely this is a toolchain, and OS thing, rather than hardware?
Permissions are set so that users can't touch the flash in question.
Maybe even a patch to the driver for the flash to completely block write
access to blocks specified on the bootloader command line.
For September end users, you might want to go further - you can't change
the bootloader params (to disable the flash blocking), or install
non-signed bootloaders or kernels if you don't input a code (displayed
on the bootloader) to some website, which then logs the fact that you've
done it, and supplies you a key to use it at your own risk.
If you've not downloaded this key, FIC fixes bricked phones free, if
not, then they don't.
Of course, those skilled in the art of patching the running kernel can
get round this, but there should be no great reason not to use the stock
bootloader and blessed kernels.
(Several people unconnected to FIC are also given codes that they can
assemble to a working private key for FIC to enable them to unlock
phones in the event of the FIC website going away)
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