[PATCH] Documentation: security: note FIT configuration choice being unsigned
Ahmad Fatoum
a.fatoum at pengutronix.de
Wed Sep 9 03:38:26 PDT 2026
/configurations/default is not covered by any signature and is thus
trivially modifiable by an attacker. Point that out in the docs.
Signed-off-by: Ahmad Fatoum <a.fatoum at pengutronix.de>
---
Documentation/user/security.rst | 13 +++++++++++++
1 file changed, 13 insertions(+)
diff --git a/Documentation/user/security.rst b/Documentation/user/security.rst
index f8cd6bd090f2..ec42664d1e8b 100644
--- a/Documentation/user/security.rst
+++ b/Documentation/user/security.rst
@@ -83,6 +83,19 @@ can be used to compile in well known development keys into the barebox binary.
The private keys for these keys can be found
`[here] <https://git.pengutronix.de/cgit/ptx-code-signing-dev>`__
+Pinning the FIT configuration
+-----------------------------
+
+A FIT signature covers the configuration node it is placed in, the images
+that configuration refers to and their hashes. It does not cover the
+``default`` property of the top-level ``/configurations`` node, which is
+what barebox falls back to when no configuration matches the board compatible.
+
+An attacker can therefore select which of the signed configurations of a FIT is
+booted without altering any image. If that matters, ship only one configuration
+per FIT, or name the configuration explicitly, e.g.
+``bootm /dev/mmc0.kernel at conf-production``.
+
Prevent the kernel from booting the rootfs in verity boots
----------------------------------------------------------
--
2.47.3
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