Re: [Suit] suit-firmware-encryption-00

[Russ Housley <[e-mail]>]

Michael:

>>> I agree that there are also challenges with certification schemes that
>>> prevent developers from seeing the source code (or from publishing the
>>> source code). That's yet another issue.
> 
>> SUIT is using signature for the authentication and integrity of the
>> firmware.  If the signature remains in place, a party in the middle of
>> the distribution cannot insert any malware.
> 
> The encryption of the firmware keeps third parties from auditing the software
> updates to determine if malware has been inserted at the "factory"
> Both white and black hats are currently using binary diff systems to look at
> patches.  Black hats use this to develop exploits in the gap between 9am EST
> and 9am PST!
> I am suggesting that this is a "Security Consideration"

Yes, this is a reasonable thing to add to the Security Considerations.

If a trustworthy party in the middle of the distribution path is able to detect a problem with cleartext (but signed) firmware, they can report a vulnerability and refuse to pass the update along.

Russ