Shuttleworth Calls for Declarative Firmware
Ubuntu founder denounces insecurity in proprietary, close-source software blobs.
Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth has called for an end to the dominance of the ACPI power management and device configuration interface used for firmware configuration in many PCs. In a recent blog post, Shuttleworth points out that low-quality, closed source firmware as a major threat to system security.
"If you read the catalog of spy tools and digital weaponry provided to us by Edward Snowden, you'll see that firmware on your device is the NSA's best friend. Your biggest mistake might be to assume that the NSA is the only institution abusing this position of trust--in fact, it's reasonable to assume that all firmware is a cesspool of insecurity, courtesy of incompetence of the worst degree from manufacturers, and competence of the highest degree from a very wide range of such agencies."
Shuttleworth goes on to call the ACPI system a "trojan horse of monumental proportions," adding portentously, "I've been to Troy; there is not much left."
According to Shuttleworth, blobs of commercial, closed-source code in the firmware just opens the door for sophisticated intruders, whether they are government spies or conventional criminals. His solution:
Firmware should be open source, so the code can be checked and verified, and innovative new features should be submitted through an upstream, peer-reviewed process such as the Linux kernel development process.
Firmware should be declarative, meaning that it describes "hardware linkages and dependencies" and doesn't include executable code.
Mark Shuttleworth is artful enough to sense that the furor over the NSA spying scandal means the world might be especially receptive right now to a pitch about the benefits of free software. Beyond the public relations, however, is an interesting development for Shuttleworth's own beloved Ubuntu project. The Free Sofware Foundation still lists Ubuntu as a "nonfree GNU/Linux distribution," noting that "...the version of Linux, the kernel, included in Ubuntu contains firmware blobs."
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.