[Arm-netbook] Microsoft confirms UEFI fears, locks down ARM devices

[Vladimir Pantelic]

Gordan Bobic wrote:
> On 01/14/2012 03:10 PM, Bari Ari wrote:
>>  Maybe it's time to start making ARM soc's?
>>
>>  http://www.softwarefreedom.org/blog/2012/jan/12/microsoft-confirms-UEFI-fears-locks-down-ARM/
>>
>>  http://linux.slashdot.org/story/12/01/14/0236244/microsoft-taking-aggressive-steps-against-linux-on-arm\
>>
>>
>>  "Microsoft has updated their WHQL certification requirements for Windows
>>  8, and placed specific restrictions on ARM platforms that will make it
>>  impossible to install non-Microsoft operating systems on ARM devices,
>>  and make it impossible to turn off or customize such security. Choice
>>  quotes from the certification include from page 116, section 20: 'On an
>>  ARM system, it is forbidden to enable Custom Mode. Only Standard Mode
>>  may be enabled' — which prevents users from customizing their security,
>>  and in section 21: 'Disabling Secure MUST NOT be possible on ARM
>>  systems' to prevent you from booting any other OSes."
>
> I rather expect that all it'll take to disable all that is a working JTAG.

The "HS" (High Security) version of the OMAP4 cannot be broken with JTAG,
I'd expect that Qualcomm and the others have similar mechanisms in place.

Also, production PCBs might not even have JTAG brought out, AFAIK there
are also SoCs where you can burn an eFuse to disable JTAG for good...