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First of all, firmware bugs can physically damage some hardware, some might even be dangerous to use (e.g. overheat and catch on fire). It just increases suppo

by juancn 4y ago

First of all, firmware bugs can physically damage some hardware, some might even be dangerous to use (e.g. overheat and catch on fire). It just increases support costs and liability for the manufacturer for little or no gain. On the security front, having the source code leaked makes it much easier to develop APTs and deep implants. So it's easy to see why it's not something most manufacturers embrace willingly. The nerd in me really would love to have access to more open. firmware, but I get where the apprehension comes from.

iforgotpassword 4y ago
> First of all, firmware bugs can physically damage some hardware, some might even be dangerous to use (e.g. overheat and catch on fire). Doing random crap to my car's engine when I have no clue what I'm doing poses all of the same risks if not more, I can still do that. It doesn't mean it's covered by the manufacturer's warranty. > It just increases support costs and liability for the manufacturer for little or no gain. You got a device sent in from a customer that bootloops because they flashed some garbage? They can get it back for a service fee of 20$ or you'll dispose of it for them. The case deforms where the camera is mounted and dust and water can get in (hello Pixel 4)? Replace it since this has nothing to do with firmware but is a plain old manufacturing defect. > On the security front, having the source code leaked makes it much easier to develop APTs and deep implants. See article. Normal users get firmware through official channels anyways, and targeted (supply chain) attacks are run by people who either already have access to the source code or got the resources to do the reverse engineering, so it doesn't really matter whether it gets easier.
- ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
  There's actually an industry, based on modding car software. I have a friend that does exactly that, as a hobby. They mess with the firmware (usually by changing coefficients and thresholds), to make the car more performant (and probably fall foul of various environmental and safety laws). And, then, there's VW's clever tweaking of their (completely legal) firmware...
  - bri3d 4y ago
    And, especially in European cars, car software modification has been aggressively locked down, mostly for emissions compliance, anti-reversing, and warranty reasons. Just like any other device firmware. The "I can modify my own car, so why can't I modify my own device firmware" analogy for firmware really falls over here, honestly, because cars are firmware these days and it's locked down and protected the same way as any other firmware.

by juancn 4y ago

iforgotpassword 4y ago

> First of all, firmware bugs can physically damage some hardware, some might even be dangerous to use (e.g. overheat and catch on fire). Doing random crap to my car's engine when I have no clue what I'm doing poses all of the same risks if not more, I can still do that. It doesn't mean it's covered by the manufacturer's warranty. > It just increases support costs and liability for the manufacturer for little or no gain. You got a device sent in from a customer that bootloops because they flashed some garbage? They can get it back for a service fee of 20$ or you'll dispose of it for them. The case deforms where the camera is mounted and dust and water can get in (hello Pixel 4)? Replace it since this has nothing to do with firmware but is a plain old manufacturing defect. > On the security front, having the source code leaked makes it much easier to develop APTs and deep implants. See article. Normal users get firmware through official channels anyways, and targeted (supply chain) attacks are run by people who either already have access to the source code or got the resources to do the reverse engineering, so it doesn't really matter whether it gets easier.

ChrisMarshallNY 4y ago
There's actually an industry, based on modding car software. I have a friend that does exactly that, as a hobby. They mess with the firmware (usually by changing coefficients and thresholds), to make the car more performant (and probably fall foul of various environmental and safety laws). And, then, there's VW's clever tweaking of their (completely legal) firmware...
- bri3d 4y ago
  And, especially in European cars, car software modification has been aggressively locked down, mostly for emissions compliance, anti-reversing, and warranty reasons. Just like any other device firmware. The "I can modify my own car, so why can't I modify my own device firmware" analogy for firmware really falls over here, honestly, because cars are firmware these days and it's locked down and protected the same way as any other firmware.