Author: Nvidia
The last generation of Nvidia GPUs that did not require digitally signed firmware in the form of a binary blob for their full functionality was the approximately 10-year-old GeForce GTX 700 generation. Everything else now requires digitally signed firmware, which makes a huge problem for example open-source nouveau drivers, or its developers. Therefore, graphics cards with Nvidia GPUs are reasonably usable on Linux only with a closed driver directly from Nvidia. But that might change.
There are new tools for Windows (OMGVflash and NVflashk) that can “break the signature protection” of the BIOS of Nvidia cards. With their help, in principle, users can upload any BIOS or their modifications to the cards and otherwise work with the card in a way that is not limited by the existing authentication mechanism.
If nouveau developers take things up and somehow use the new possibilities, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We will also see how Nvidia reacts, for which this is a problem. It can certainly be assumed that future cards will have some better security, and it may be possible to try to force them into the current ones with a mandatory firmware update, otherwise the user will not be able to install new drivers. Let us be surprised. Everything in detail at TechPowerUp.
2023-08-22 12:12:16
#Nvidia #BIOS #signature #protection #broken #Root.cz
