A method for flashing an operating system

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of electronic equipment, in particular to a method for flashing an operating system, which comprises the following steps: generating restriction information containing a customer identification ID and an image validity period, encrypting the restriction information as a file header through the customer identification ID, forming a double-encrypted file by encrypting the main body of the image with the restriction information; binding a flashing tool with the customer identification ID and hardware information of a flashing device, decrypting the file header and checking the consistency of the customer identification ID and the image validity period in the restriction information after checking the legality of the binding; decrypting the main body of the image and burning it to a target device after the checking, and clearing temporary data after the burning is completed. The double-encryption mechanism prevents the image from being leaked and tampered with, the hardware binding realizes the authorization checking in an offline scene, the multi-dimensional checking such as the validity period and the file size precisely controls the use range of the image, and the safety and controllability of the flashing process are effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of electronic device technology, specifically relating to a method for flashing an operating system. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of device flashing technology, the security of firmware and operating system images is paramount during the process of updating device software systems via firmware or operating system images. Critical files are at risk of leakage during online or offline flashing processes. If these files are cracked, tampered with, or illegally distributed, it will damage corporate intellectual property and consumer rights, and may even lead to security vulnerabilities such as malicious attacks and system crashes.

[0003] Existing patent 1 (publication number CN109101278B) discloses a method and apparatus for flashing a terminal, which mainly relies on a server to perform online verification of devices, allowing only verified devices to perform the flashing operation. While this method provides basic control in online scenarios, it lacks effective protection against offline flashing. Furthermore, once critical files are issued, it is difficult to trace their specific usage paths, making it impossible to accurately restrict the scope of devices, frequency, and validity period of file usage, resulting in a persistent risk of illegal abuse. Therefore, a technical solution is needed to implement end-to-end control over the security and usage permissions of critical files to compensate for the shortcomings of existing technologies in offline protection and file tracking and control.

[0004] In view of this, the present invention is hereby proposed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problem in existing technologies that fail to precisely limit the scope, frequency, and validity period of file usage, leading to the risk of illegal misuse, this invention provides a method for flashing an operating system. This method ensures the security of firmware and the operating system image during flashing, reduces the risk of files being cracked, tampered with, and distributed arbitrarily, thereby protecting the common interests of businesses and consumers while improving the overall security of the device.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0007] A method for flashing an operating system includes:

[0008] S1. Generate restriction information including customer ID and image validity period;

[0009] S2. Encrypt the restriction information using the customer identifier ID as the key to generate an encrypted string;

[0010] S3. Encrypt the first encrypted file using the restriction information as the key, insert the encrypted string into the first encrypted file to generate a second encrypted file, and push the second encrypted file to the flashing tool;

[0011] S4. Bind the flashing tool with the customer ID and flashing device hardware information;

[0012] S5. Verify the legality of the customer ID and device hardware information bound to the flashing tool;

[0013] S6. Decrypt the header information of the second encrypted file to obtain the restriction information; and verify that the customer identifier ID in the restriction information is consistent with the customer identifier ID bound to the current flashing tool, and that the current time is within the validity period of the image;

[0014] S7. Based on the verified restriction information, decrypt the main body of the image and burn it to the target device.

[0015] Furthermore, after step S7, the process also includes: after the flashing process is completed, the flashing tool uninstalls the second encrypted file and clears the image data and temporary verification information stored in memory.

[0016] Furthermore, the limiting information mentioned in step S1 also includes at least one of the following: file MD5, file size, project identifier ID, or valid number of burns.

[0017] Furthermore, when generating restriction information in step S1, the restriction information is supplemented to a fixed byte length by random characters, and the fixed byte length is 1024 bytes.

[0018] Furthermore, the encryption in step S3 employs at least one of a symmetric encryption algorithm, an asymmetric encryption algorithm, or a hash encryption algorithm.

[0019] Furthermore, the hardware information includes at least one of the following: CPUID of the flashing device, hard drive serial number, motherboard serial number, and network card MAC address.

[0020] Furthermore, the binding in step S4 specifically includes:

[0021] Use the authorization tool to encrypt and write the customer identification ID into the ELF data segment of the flashing tool;

[0022] The authorization tool generates a registration code and interacts with the supplier to generate an activation code, verifying the correspondence between the customer identification ID and the hardware information.

[0023] Furthermore, the process by which the authorization tool generates a registration code includes:

[0024] The collected hardware information is supplemented to 512 bytes with a random string, an encryption algorithm is used to generate a registration code, and the registration code is sent to the firmware vendor.

[0025] Furthermore, the firmware vendor's process for generating the activation code includes:

[0026] Based on the registration code, the hardware information is restored. Combined with the customer identification ID, a random string is added to make it 512 bytes. The customer identification ID is used as the key for encryption to generate an activation code and synchronize it to the flashing device.

[0027] Furthermore, the process of verifying legality in step S5 includes:

[0028] The customer identifier ID is obtained by decrypting the ELF data segment of the flashing tool and comparing it with the customer identifier ID contained in the activation code;

[0029] At the same time, it verifies whether the current hardware information of the flashing device is consistent with the bound hardware information. If either comparison fails, flashing is prohibited.

[0030] Furthermore, step S6, verifying that the current time is within the image's validity period, specifically includes:

[0031] Connect to a public or private time server to obtain the current time. If a valid time cannot be obtained, terminate the flashing process.

[0032] The system compares the current time with the preset validity period in the restriction information. If the validity period has expired, flashing the device is prohibited.

[0033] Furthermore, step S6 also includes:

[0034] Calculate the size of the second encrypted file and subtract the file header length. Compare the result with the file size in the restriction information. If they do not match, it is determined that the image has been tampered with and the process is terminated.

[0035] Furthermore, when the limitation information includes the number of valid programming cycles, step S6 further includes:

[0036] The flashing tool connects to the server to check the current valid number of flashing attempts. If the number of attempts is less than 1, flashing is prohibited.

[0037] After successful flashing, the flashing tool sends a notification to the server, decrementing the effective flashing count by 1.

[0038] Furthermore, the steps of querying and updating the valid number of burning attempts by the server are implemented through a secure communication protocol.

[0039] Furthermore, the step of decrypting the main body of the image in step S7 includes: reading the main body of the image of the second encrypted file frame by frame, and decrypting it frame by frame using the restriction information as the key.

[0040] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0041] The present invention provides a method for flashing an operating system. In its specific application, the combination of dual encryption processing, hardware binding, and multi-dimensional verification constructs a security control system covering the entire process of image generation, authorization, and burning. This effectively solves the security risks and access control problems in the flashing process of existing technologies. It is applicable to devices such as smartphones, embedded development boards, IoT devices, set-top boxes, and smart TVs, and has broad technical application value and market prospects. Attached Figure Description

[0042] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the flashing method for an operating system provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are not all embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0044] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement and numerical expressions of the components and steps described in these embodiments should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

[0045] The following description of exemplary embodiments is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the invention or its application or use in any way. Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail herein, but where applicable, such techniques, methods, and apparatus should be considered part of this specification.

[0046] See Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the flashing method for the operating system proposed in this invention. Specifically, the operating system flashing method may include:

[0047] S11. Generate restriction information including customer ID and image validity period;

[0048] The aforementioned limitation information also includes file MD5, file size, project identifier ID, or valid flash count information. The image validity period can be set by connecting to a public or private time server to obtain the current system time, such as "2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31". The project identifier ID is used to distinguish different projects; during the flashing process, the specified project can be completed based on the project identifier ID.

[0049] S12. Encrypt the restriction information using the customer identifier ID as a key to generate an encrypted string;

[0050] S13. Encrypt the first encrypted file using the restriction information as the key, insert the encrypted string into the first encrypted file to generate a second encrypted file, and push the second encrypted file to the flashing tool;

[0051] Using restriction information as the key string prevents the file header from being replaced and thus bypassing verification. Encryption can employ symmetric, asymmetric, or hash encryption algorithms.

[0052] S14. Bind the flashing tool with the customer ID and flashing device hardware information;

[0053] The customer ID is encrypted and written into the binary executable file of the flashing tool using an authorization tool. The encrypted customer ID information can be recorded using an ELF data segment. The flashing tool and authorization tool are then sent to the flashing device. The authorization tool can be a dedicated software called Tool_Authorize.exe.

[0054] The flashing device uses an authorization tool to obtain its hardware information, pads it to 512 bytes with a random string, and generates a registration code using an encryption algorithm. The hardware information includes: CPUID, hard drive serial number, motherboard serial number, and network card MAC address. The generated registration code is then returned to the firmware vendor. Encryption employs at least one of symmetric, asymmetric, or hash encryption algorithms.

[0055] The firmware vendor uses an activation code generation tool to reconstruct the registration code into the hardware information of the flashing device, adds the customer identification ID string, and pads it to 512 bytes with a random string. Using the customer identification ID as a key string, an encryption algorithm is used to generate the activation code. The generated activation code is then synchronized to the flashing device. The authorization tool then writes the activation code into the binary executable file of the flashing tool, activating the flashing tool.

[0056] The authorization tool restores the activation code into device hardware information and customer identification ID. The authorization tool reads the encrypted customer identification ID information from the ELF data segment of the binary executable file of the flashing tool and uses an algorithm to decrypt it to obtain the customer identification ID.

[0057] The specific binding steps include: using an authorization tool to encrypt and write the customer identification ID into the ELF data segment of the flashing tool; generating a registration code through the authorization tool and interacting with the supplier to generate an activation code, and verifying the correspondence between the customer identification ID and the hardware information.

[0058] If obtaining the current time fails, a message will appear indicating that the connection to the server cannot be established, and the flashing process will terminate. The current time can be obtained by connecting to a private time server.

[0059] S15. Verify the legality of the customer ID and device hardware information bound to the flashing tool;

[0060] The device hardware information is encrypted and written into the binary executable file of the flashing tool. The ELF data segment can be used to record the encrypted device hardware information, and the flashing tool is successfully activated. The flashing tool reads the encrypted information of the ELF data segment, decrypts it to obtain the customer identifier ID and device hardware information. If the customer identifier ID or device hardware information does not exist, it prompts that the flashing tool is not authorized and exits.

[0061] The flashing tool reads the hardware information of the flashing device and compares it with the device's hardware information. If the comparison results are inconsistent, it will prompt that the flashing tool is not authorized and exit the process. The flashing tool will also compare the customer ID. If the comparison results are inconsistent, it will prompt that the firmware is incompatible and end the flashing process.

[0062] S16. Decrypt the header information of the second encrypted file to obtain the restriction information; and verify that the customer identifier ID in the restriction information is consistent with the customer identifier ID bound to the current flashing tool, and that the current time is within the validity period of the image;

[0063] The flashing tool loads the second encrypted firmware and reads the 1024-byte header information of the second encrypted firmware. The flashing tool uses the customer identifier ID to decrypt the header information to obtain the firmware restriction information. If the information decryption fails, it prompts that the firmware does not match and ends the flashing process.

[0064] The flashing tool calculates the size of the second encrypted file, subtracts the 1024-byte file header, and compares it with the file size. If the comparison result is inconsistent, it prompts that the firmware verification failed and ends the flashing process. The flashing tool connects to a public time server to obtain the current time. If it fails to obtain the current time, it prompts that it cannot connect to the server to obtain the time and ends the flashing process.

[0065] The current time can be obtained by connecting to a private time server. The flashing tool compares the current time with the image validity period. If the current time is not within the firmware validity period, it will prompt that the firmware is not within the validity period and end the flashing process.

[0066] S17. Based on the verified restriction information, decrypt the main body of the image and burn it to the target device.

[0067] The flashing tool connects to the server to query the number of valid flashing attempts. If the number is less than 1, it prompts that flashing cannot continue and asks the supplier to handle the issue, thus ending the flashing process. If the number is greater than 1, the flashing process proceeds. After successful flashing, the flashing tool notifies the server to decrement the number of valid flashing attempts by 1.

[0068] The flashing tool connects to the server and uses the customer ID, project ID, and file MD5 to obtain the number of valid firmware flashing attempts. If the number of valid flashing attempts is less than 1, it will prompt that the firmware cannot continue to be flashed. Please contact the supplier for assistance and end the flashing process.

[0069] The flashing tool reads the second encrypted firmware frame by frame. The second encrypted firmware is offset by 1024 bytes. The restriction information is used as the key string for decryption. The decrypted data frame is then flashed to the storage medium of the terminal device. This process is repeated until the entire flashing is complete.

[0070] After the flashing process is complete, the flashing tool uninstalls the second encrypted file and clears the image data and temporary verification information stored in memory.

[0071] In offline scenarios, such as industrial control equipment without a network, the authorization tool pre-writes the activation code and downloads firmware restriction information in a networked environment. The activation code is generated based on the hardware information of the device where the flashing tool is located and is encrypted to avoid the risk of activation code leakage. Furthermore, the flashing tool stores authorization information such as the customer identifier ID, hardware information, and validity period in a local encrypted database. This data can use an SQLite encrypted database to support offline verification. If a connection to a time synchronization server is unavailable, the validity period can be synchronized using the flashing device's local clock. This method completes the operating system flashing in offline scenarios.

[0072] Example 1

[0073] The following explanation uses firmware as an example. The protection principle of the operating system image is the same. The specific methods for flashing this operating system can include:

[0074] S21, Restricting Information Generation

[0075] S211. Use firmware to calculate MD5 information.

[0076] S212. Calculate the file size of the firmware.

[0077] S213. Generate a globally unique identifier for each customer, which can be marked using a customer identification ID.

[0078] S214. Assign a unique project identifier ID to each flashing project within the same customer.

[0079] S215. Set the firmware image validity period to 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-30.

[0080] S216. Set the number of valid burning attempts. The maximum number of times the image can be burned is preset. This number can be set freely according to actual needs.

[0081] S217. The MD5 value, file size, customer ID, project ID, validity period and number of valid flashing times of the above information are concatenated into a string and filled with random characters to a total of 1024 bytes to form firmware restriction information.

[0082] S22, Double Encryption Processing

[0083] S221. Using the customer identifier ID obtained in step S213 as the key string, and combining it with the encryption algorithm, the firmware restriction information obtained in step S17 is encrypted to obtain an encrypted string.

[0084] S222. Using the firmware restriction information from step S217 as a key string, the firmware is encrypted to obtain the first encrypted firmware.

[0085] S223. Insert the encrypted string from step S221 into the first encrypted firmware from step S222 to obtain the second encrypted firmware.

[0086] S224. Push the second encrypted firmware from step S223 to the flashing device.

[0087] S23, flashing tool authorization binding

[0088] S231. Use the authorization tool to encrypt and write the customer identifier ID into the binary executable file of the flashing tool. The ELF data segment can be used to record the encrypted customer identifier ID information. Send the flashing tool and the authorization tool to the flashing device.

[0089] S232. Using an authorization tool, obtain the hardware information of the flashing device, supplement it with a random string to 512 bytes, and generate a registration code using an encryption algorithm.

[0090] S233. Return the registration code from step S232 to the firmware vendor.

[0091] S234. The firmware supplier uses an activation code generation tool to restore the registration code returned in step S232 into the hardware information of the flashing device, adds the customer identification ID string, and uses a random string to supplement it to 512 bytes. The customer identification ID is used as the key string and combined with the encryption algorithm to generate an activation code.

[0092] S235. Synchronize the activation code mentioned in step S234 to the flashing device.

[0093] S236. Using the authorization tool, the activation code is written into the binary executable file of the flashing tool to activate the flashing tool. The writing step specifically includes:

[0094] S2361, The authorization tool restores the activation code into device hardware information and customer identification ID;

[0095] S2362. The authorization tool reads the encrypted customer identifier ID from the ELF data segment of the binary executable file of the flashing tool, and uses an algorithm to decrypt it to obtain the customer identifier ID;

[0096] S2363. The authorization tool compares the customer ID in step S2361 with the customer ID in step S2262. If the comparison results are inconsistent, the flashing tool fails to activate and prompts a mismatch message. If the comparison results are consistent, proceed to step S2364.

[0097] S2364. The authorization tool encrypts the device hardware information obtained in step S2361 to generate encrypted device hardware information, and writes it into the binary executable file of the flashing tool to complete the dual binding of "customer ID + device hardware"; the ELF data segment can be used to record the encrypted device hardware information to successfully activate the flashing tool.

[0098] S24, Flashing Verification and Decryption Burning

[0099] S241. Start the flashing tool;

[0100] S242. The flashing tool reads the encrypted information of the ELF data segment, decrypts it to obtain the customer identifier ID and device hardware information. If the customer identifier ID or device hardware information does not exist, it prompts that the flashing tool is not authorized and exits the program.

[0101] S243. The flashing tool reads the hardware information of the flashing device and compares it with the device's hardware information. If the comparison results are inconsistent, the flashing tool is prompted that it is not authorized and exits the process.

[0102] S244. The flashing tool loads the second encrypted firmware and reads the 1024-byte header information of the second encrypted firmware.

[0103] S245. The flashing tool uses the customer identifier ID from step S242 to decrypt the file header information from step S244 to obtain firmware restriction information.

[0104] S246. The flashing tool compares the customer ID in step S242 with the customer ID in step S245. If the comparison results are inconsistent, it prompts that the firmware is incompatible and ends the flashing process.

[0105] S247. The flashing tool calculates the size of the second encrypted firmware, subtracts the 1024-byte file header, and compares it with the firmware size in step S245. If the comparison results are inconsistent, it prompts that the firmware verification fails and ends the flashing process.

[0106] S248: The flashing tool connects to a public time server to obtain the current time;

[0107] S249. The flashing tool compares the current time obtained in step S48 with the firmware validity period in step S245 to detect the firmware validity period.

[0108] S2410. The flashing tool reads the second encrypted file frame by frame. The second encrypted file is offset by 1024 bytes. The firmware restriction information mentioned in step S245 is used as the key string for decryption. The decrypted data frame is then flashed to the storage medium of the terminal device.

[0109] S2411. Repeat step S2410 until firmware flashing is complete;

[0110] Once the flashing process is complete, the flashing tool notifies the server that the terminal operating system was successfully flashed, and the number of valid firmware flashing attempts is decremented by 1. The flashing tool then uninstalls the second encrypted firmware, clearing the firmware data, decryption key, and temporary verification information stored in memory to prevent sensitive information from remaining.

[0111] In summary, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0112] 1. Verify the legality of the firmware before flashing to prevent device malfunctions and security vulnerabilities caused by firmware tampering or outdated versions, thereby improving the reliability of the flashing process;

[0113] 2. By using encryption and access restrictions, we can prevent files from being obtained illegally and prevent them from being used outside the authorized scope, thus comprehensively protecting the interests of enterprises and users.

[0114] The above specific embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to examples, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for flashing an operating system, characterized in that, The method comprises the following steps: S1, generating restriction information containing a customer identification ID and a mirror validity period; the restriction information further contains at least one of a file MD5, a file volume, a project identification ID or a valid burning number of information; when the restriction information is generated, the restriction information is supplemented to a fixed byte length by random characters, and the fixed byte length is 1024 bytes; S2, encrypting the restriction information by using the customer identification ID as a key to generate an encrypted string; S3, encrypting the restriction information to obtain a first encrypted file, and inserting the encrypted string into the first encrypted file to generate a second encrypted file, and pushing the second encrypted file to a flashing tool; S4, binding the flashing tool with the customer identification ID and the hardware information of the flashing device; The binding in step S4 specifically comprises: encrypting and writing the customer identification ID into an ELF data segment of the flashing tool by using an authorization tool; generating a registration code by the authorization tool and interacting with a supplier to generate an activation code, and verifying the corresponding relationship between the customer identification ID and the hardware information; S5, verifying the legality of the customer identification ID and the device hardware information bound by the flashing tool; the process of verifying the legality in step S5 comprises: decrypting and obtaining the customer identification ID from the ELF data segment of the flashing tool, and comparing the customer identification ID with the customer identification ID contained in the activation code; verifying whether the current hardware information of the flashing device is consistent with the bound hardware information, and if any comparison fails, the flashing is prohibited; S6, decrypting the file header information of the second encrypted file to obtain the restriction information, and verifying that the customer identification ID in the restriction information is consistent with the customer identification ID bound by the current flashing tool, and the current time is within the mirror validity period; the verification of the current time within the mirror validity period in step S6 specifically comprises: connecting a public time service server or a private time service server to obtain the current time, and if the valid time cannot be obtained, the flashing process is terminated; comparing the obtained current time with the preset validity period in the restriction information, and if the validity period is exceeded, the flashing is prohibited; The step S6 further comprises: calculating the volume of the second encrypted file and subtracting the file header length, and comparing the result with the file volume in the restriction information, if they are inconsistent, it is determined that the mirror is tampered and the process is terminated; S7, decrypting the main body of the mirror based on the verified restriction information, and burning to the target device; the step of decrypting the main body of the mirror in step S7 comprises: reading the main body of the mirror of the second encrypted file frame by frame, and decrypting frame by frame by using the restriction information as a key.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, After step S7, the flashing tool uninstalls the second encrypted file and clears the mirror data and temporary verification information stored in the memory after the flashing is completed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating system is a Linux operating system. The encryption in step S3 adopts at least one of a symmetric encryption algorithm, an asymmetric encryption algorithm or a hash encryption algorithm.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating system is a Linux operating system. The hardware information comprises at least one of a CPUID of the flashing device, a hard disk serial number, a motherboard serial number and a network card MAC address.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating system is a Linux operating system. The process of generating a registration code by the authorization tool comprises: The collected hardware information is supplemented by a random string to 512 bytes, an encryption algorithm is used to generate a registration code, and the registration code is sent to a firmware supplier.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the operating system is a Linux operating system. The process of generating the activation code by the firmware supplier includes: Based on the registration code, the hardware information is restored, combined with the customer ID, supplemented by a random string to 512 bytes, and encrypted using the customer ID as a key to generate an activation code and synchronize to the flashing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the operating system is a Linux operating system. When the limit information contains the valid burning times, the step S6 further includes: The flashing tool connects the server to query the current valid burning times, and if the times are less than 1, the burning is prohibited; After successful burning, the flashing tool sends a notification to the server, and the valid burning times are reduced by 1.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the operating system is a Linux operating system. The steps of querying and updating the valid burning times by the server are implemented through a secure communication protocol.

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