History

Nicola Corna 9bcc002f1e util: Add me_cleaner me_cleaner is a tool to strip down Intel ME/TXE images by removing all the non-fundamental code, while keeping the ME/TXE image valid and suitable for booting the system. The remaining code (ROMP and BUP modules) is the one responsible for the very basic initialization of the ME/TXE subsystem and can't be removed. This tool exploits the fact that: * Each ME/TXE partition is signed individually and it is possible to remove both the partition and the signature. * The ME/TXE modules are not signed directly, instead they are hashed and the list of their hashes is hashed again and signed: this means that modifying a module doesn't invalidate the signature, but only the hash of that single module. * The modules hashes are checked only when the corresponding module needs to be executed. * The system can boot after the execution of the first module (BUP, inside the FTPR partition), even if the subsequent stages fail. Currently me_cleaner works on every Intel platform with Intel ME or Intel TXE with the following limitations: * Doesn't work when Intel Boot Guard is set in Verified Boot mode. * Doesn't fully work on Nehalem yet. * On Skylake and later generations, since the partitions' internal structure has changed, me_cleaner leaves intact the FTPR partition, removing all the the other partitions. This tool has been tested on multiple platforms and architectures by different users, and seems to be stable. The reports are available here: https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner/issues/3 A more in-depth description of me_cleaner is available here: https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner/wiki/How-does-it-work%3F Change-Id: I9013799e9adea0dea0775b9afe718de5fc4ca748 Signed-off-by: Nicola Corna <nicola@corna.info> Reviewed-on: https://review.coreboot.org/18203 Tested-by: build bot (Jenkins) Reviewed-by: Philipp Deppenwiese <zaolin.daisuki@gmail.com> Reviewed-by: Stefan Reinauer <stefan.reinauer@coreboot.org>	2017-01-25 18:19:58 +01:00
..
README.md	util: Add me_cleaner	2017-01-25 18:19:58 +01:00
me_cleaner.py	util: Add me_cleaner	2017-01-25 18:19:58 +01:00

Nicola Corna 9bcc002f1e util: Add me_cleaner

me_cleaner is a tool to strip down Intel ME/TXE images by removing all
the non-fundamental code, while keeping the ME/TXE image valid and
suitable for booting the system. The remaining code (ROMP and BUP
modules) is the one responsible for the very basic initialization of
the ME/TXE subsystem and can't be removed.

This tool exploits the fact that:
 * Each ME/TXE partition is signed individually and it is possible to
    remove both the partition and the signature.
 * The ME/TXE modules are not signed directly, instead they are hashed
    and the list of their hashes is hashed again and signed: this
    means that modifying a module doesn't invalidate the signature,
    but only the hash of that single module.
 * The modules hashes are checked only when the corresponding module
    needs to be executed.
 * The system can boot after the execution of the first module (BUP,
    inside the FTPR partition), even if the subsequent stages fail.

Currently me_cleaner works on every Intel platform with Intel ME or
Intel TXE with the following limitations:
 * Doesn't work when Intel Boot Guard is set in Verified Boot mode.
 * Doesn't fully work on Nehalem yet.
 * On Skylake and later generations, since the partitions' internal
    structure has changed, me_cleaner leaves intact the FTPR
    partition, removing all the the other partitions.

This tool has been tested on multiple platforms and architectures by
different users, and seems to be stable. The reports are available
here:
https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner/issues/3

A more in-depth description of me_cleaner is available here:
https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner/wiki/How-does-it-work%3F

Change-Id: I9013799e9adea0dea0775b9afe718de5fc4ca748
Signed-off-by: Nicola Corna <nicola@corna.info>
Reviewed-on: https://review.coreboot.org/18203
Tested-by: build bot (Jenkins)
Reviewed-by: Philipp Deppenwiese <zaolin.daisuki@gmail.com>
Reviewed-by: Stefan Reinauer <stefan.reinauer@coreboot.org>

2017-01-25 18:19:58 +01:00

README.md

util: Add me_cleaner

2017-01-25 18:19:58 +01:00

me_cleaner.py

util: Add me_cleaner

2017-01-25 18:19:58 +01:00

README.md

ME cleaner

A cleaner for Intel ME/TXE images.

This tools removes any unnecessary partition from an Intel ME/TXE firmware, reducing its size and its ability to interact with the system. It should work both with coreboot and with the factory firmware.

Currently this tool:

Scans the FPT (partition table) and checks that everything is correct
Removes any partition entry (except for FTPR) from FPT
Removes any partition except for the fundamental one (FTPR)
Removes the EFFS presence flag
Corrects the FPT checksum
Removes any non-essential LZMA or Huffman compressed module (pre-Skylake only)
Checks the validity of the RSA signature of the FTPR partition

Don't forget to power cycle your PC after flashing the modified ME/TXE image (power off and power on, not just reboot).

See the current status or a more detailed description of me_cleaner.

Special thanks to Federico Amedeo Izzo for his help during the study of Intel ME.