Skip to main content

Dell, HP, and Lenovo Devices Found Using Outdated OpenSSL Versions.


OpenSSL Versions

An analysis of firmware images across devices from Dell, HP, and Lenovo has revealed the presence of outdated versions of the OpenSSL cryptographic library, underscoring a supply chain risk.

EFI Development Kit, aka EDK, is an open source implementation of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), which functions as an interface between the operating system and the firmware embedded in the device's hardware.

The firmware development environment, which is in its second iteration (EDK II), comes with its own cryptographic package called CryptoPkg that, in turn, makes use of services from the OpenSSL project.

Per firmware security company Binarly, the firmware image associated with Lenovo Thinkpad enterprise devices was found to use three different versions of OpenSSL: 0.9.8zb, 1.0.0a, and 1.0.2j, the last of which was released in 2018.

What's more, one of the firmware modules named InfineonTpmUpdateDxe relied on OpenSSL version 0.9.8zb that was shipped on August 4, 2014.

"The InfineonTpmUpdateDxe module is responsible for updating the firmware of Trusted Platform Module (TPM) on the Infineon chip," Binarly explained in a technical write-up last week.

OpenSSL Versions

"This clearly indicates the supply chain problem with third-party dependencies when it looks like these dependencies never received an update, even for critical security issues."

The diversity of OpenSSL versions aside, some of the firmware packages from Lenovo and Dell utilized an even older version (0.9.8l), which came out on November 5, 2009. HP's firmware code, likewise, used a 10-year-old version of the library (0.9.8w).

The fact that the device firmware uses multiple versions of OpenSSL in the same binary package highlights how third-party code dependencies can introduce more complexities in the supply chain ecosystem.

Binarly further pointed out the weaknesses in what's called a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) that arises as a result of integrating compiled binary modules (aka closed source) in the firmware.

"We see an urgent need for an extra layer of SBOM Validation when it comes to compiled code to validate on the binary level, the list of third-party dependency information that matches the actual SBOM provided by the vendor," the company said.

"A 'trust-but-verify' approach is the best way to deal with SBOM failures and reduce supply chain risks."

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Vurra Constituency MP Adriko Yovan gets six months imprisonment for failing to repay loan.

📸: Hon Adriko Yovan. Story By Andrew Cohen Amvesi. ARUA . Yovan Adriko, the Vurra County Member of Parliament (MP) in Arua district has been committed to six months civil prison for failing to clear debts amounting to shs55,677,400. Adriko was on Thursday evening sent to Arua government prison to serve six months shortly after his arrest at Slumberland hotel in Arua City. MP Adriko warrant of committal judgement debtor to jail. Paul Mawa of T/A Vitality Associates, the court bailiff assigned to arrest the MP, duped him to come and pick some money for a land transaction at Slumberland hotel where he picked him like a baby after a long hunt. Adriko was immediately arraigned before Her Worship Karungi Leo, the Deputy Registrar of Arua High Court who later committed him to imprisonment not exceeding six months. Part of Adriko’s warrant of arrest issued b court Adriko was sent to the coolers for failing to clear shs48m which is the princip

Arrested Arua City Officials Taken to Kampala this Night.

Wednesday 8-November-2023. 📸: The arrest of Arua City Physical Planner Mr Findru Moses on 6-Nov-2023 at around 2pm. 📸: Mr Jobile Cornelius the City Deputy town clerk who was arrested on 7-Nov-2023 at around 4pm. 📸: Mrs Lillian Aleni (in red cloth) and Mr Edoni Benard being handcuffed by police officer on 6-Nov-2023 at around 6pm. The bail that was to be issued last night 8pm 7-Nov-2023 to release the arrested City Deputy town clerk Mr Jobile Cornelius and CFO Mr Sam Adriko over mismanagement of government properties and monies was canceled, and by this time of the night 11pm, highly placed sources leaked that, all the arrested suspects (Mr Findru Moses the Arua City Physical Planner, Mr Jobile Cornelius the Deputy City clerk, Mr Adriko Sam the CFO, Mr Edoni Benard the PDM BOG Chairperson for Pangisa ward and Mrs Lillian Aleni the parish chief for Pangisa ward) are being transported by State House Anti-corruption Unit officers who will soon be reac

Wedded Ayivu West MP Lematia John Fights Over Another Woman.

  📸: Hon Lematia John. By URN. Police in Arua district are investigating a case of assault and threatening violence involving the Member of Parliament for Ayivu West Constituency John Lematia and James Ariko, a DSTV technician in Arua city. Drama ensued on Easter Sunday 31-3-2024 at Dream Land Hotel located at Kuluva trading center along Arua-Nebbi highway in Arua district when the legislator and the technician engaged in a fight reportedly over a woman identified as Faith Eyotaru 25, a relationship officer at Victoria University Kampala. The scuffle started after Ayivu West Mp John Lematia went to swim at Dreamland Hotel with Faith Eyotaru only to find Ariko, who had gone to the same hotel earlier. However, upon seeing the duo coming out of the vehicle, Ariko confronted Lematia with both men claiming to be having a relationship with the lady. It took the intervention of the staff at the hotel who intervened and separated the fight between the men. Josephine Angucia, the West Nile re