How to mitigate Apple's firmware backdoor and permanently secure your Mac's firmware : techsupport | Torhoo darknet markets

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NOVEMBER 19, 2023: UPDATE

This guide isn't useful for ALL macs, particularly modern ARM based macs with Apples version of secure boot. I also believe this guide isn't accurate for any OS before MacOS Monterey. On later OS's (MacOS Monterey and above) Apple has included a Graphical window in the Recovery partition that does just what this guide teaches you how to do using terminal commands. Therefore, a tutorial for moderna Macs that boot Monterey and above is in the works. If you have a newer modern Mac with Monterey and above, this tutorial doesn't apply, and you should instead contact me directly for more information, or wait until I put out another guide for modern Macs. Legacy mac users, please still read through this as it applies to you!

MARCH 12, 2022:

Go ahead and boot up your mac in recovery mode (Hold Command+R at boot).
Once recovery mode boots up, click on your username and enter your user password to get into the recovery apps. Then, click on the terminal app in the recovery menu, and open up the recovery terminal.

Now, you are going to have to first set a firmware password.
To set a firmware password that's required to be entered on every startup (most secure option), type the following command in your mac recovery terminal:

firmwarepasswd -setpasswd -setmode full

To set a firmware password that's required to be entered only when changing boot disks (less secure option), or booting a different os from a second partition, type the following in your mac recovery terminal.

firmwarepasswd -setpasswd -setmode command

After you have created a password for your firmware, reboot by typing

reboot

in your recovery terminal, and hitting enter. If you chose to use the

-setmode full

command, you will be prompted for your firmware password upon reboot before being able to boot into recovery mode. Otherwise if you chose

-setmode command

you can boot directly to recovery mode without entering a firmware password. Once in recovery mode, log back in to your recovery account by typing your password again, and open up the recovery terminal. Now lets check the status of your new firmware password and mode that has been enabled with the following commands: ...

firmwarepasswd -check

should return:

Password Enabled: Yes

then typing...

firmwarepasswd -mode

should return:

Mode: full

Option roms not allowed

if you used the (most secure) command

firmwarepasswd -setpasswd -setmode full

to set your password. Otherwise, if you used the (less secure) command

firmwarepasswd -setpasswd -setmode command

, then

firmwarepasswd -mode

should return:

Mode: command

Option roms not allowed

Once you verify your firmware mode you may next want to to create a backup seed incase you forget your firmware password, however, doing so makes your firmware less secure. Instead, it is recommended that you just be 100% positive you remember your password, and not create a backup seed. However, if you choose to go the "backup seed" route, then you should go to your recovery terminal and type...

firmwarepasswd -unlockseed

then...

a random number will show here

You want to write that random number down and store it in another residence of whom you trust, preferably in a safe. Or, even better, you could go to the park, and bury the written password in the ground inside of a mini treasure chest, and remember where you buried it incase you need to dig it up for firmware recovery one day. However, nobody but you should ever have access to this recovery seed, or they will be able to unlock your firmware and get into your option rom, possibly being able unlock your home user account.

• .

NOW, LETS TALK ABOUT THE HIGHLY IMPORTANT BUILT IN APPLE FIRMWARE BACKDOOR THAT ALLOWS APPLE (POSSIBLY IN COOPERATION WITH LE) TO UNLOCK YOUR LOCKED FIRMWARE WITHOUT USING YOUR PASSWORD!

• .

Ultra secure firmware, Not so secure until you make it secure:

• .

Apple Inc. has designed an unlocking mechanism that can override your firmware password and unlock your computer if you bring it into an Apple store with your reciept for the computer. If you don't believe me, just do all of the above steps I wrote to lock your firmware, bring your mac into an apple store with your reciept, and tell them you forgot your firmware password. Within minutes, they will unlock your firmware for you, and you will be able to access your home user account with out a firmware password again. Law enforcement can also sieze this computer and get apple to cooperate with unlocking your firmware for LE to try to hack your home user password and option rom to get into your user account. Although this "backdoor" was designed with good intentions (to help you not turn your computer into a tv tray if you forget your firmware password), it poses quite a large problem to people who need serious protection from their firmware being unlocked.

• .

The GOOD NEWS, is that Apple Inc. has also included a relatively unnanounced and undocumented mechanism to prevent even even Apple Stores or headquarters from unlocking your Macs firmware.

• .

Be warned though, once you take these next steps, you CANNOT LOSE YOUR PASSWORD AND RECOVERY KEY! IF YOU DO, YOUR MOTHERBOARD WILL BE PERMANANTLY BRICKED, and you will have to buy a completely new motherboard!

• .

So be sure that you use a password that you will always remember no matter what. If you want to be ultra secure, don't activate and write down the recovery key option mentioned above. That way, nobody can find your written down recovery key and unlock your firmware.

• .

Now, let's proceed, and show you how to permanently prevent even Apple Inc. or LE from unlocking your firmware... To completely disable Apple's firmware backdoor, go to your recovery terminal and type the following command:

firmwarepasswd -disable-reset-capability

• .

Then agree to the warning by typing "Yes" and then enter your password to confirm. You will need to reboot for these changes to take effect.

reboot

Then hit "enter".

• .

Thats all there is to it. Now once you've rebooted, Even Apple themselves (and LE) cannot override your firmware password, and your macs firmware is as secure as it can possibly can be. Just be sure to NEVER forget your firmware password, or you will have to pay for a new motherboard, because the old one will be permanently inaccessible.

• .

I hope this tutorial helped you get started securing your Mac firmware here on https://torhoo.cc/go.php?u=TDJRdmRHVmphSE4xY0hCdmNuUT0=#. If you have any further followup questions, please feel free to post them beneath this original post. Cheers, and good luck securing your mac! Lastly, if you want to make a contribution to me for the time and effort it took to produce this guide, then you can do any of the following things: 1) Buy some weed from "alwaysfire" on one of the markets I vend on. 2) Make a small crypto donation to my wallet MY BTC ADDRESS:

bc1q76j2s36mpzrzsr4a92d7tzvvk6uncx4snp9d2y

MY XMR ADDRESS:

86v1XL4qVRfCeGU6K7PWocjXxS8gxSqkBfPiqmWzzjD7NtUMZs4kka5WbJ4nGyKhQFKh7kV4WTCRHh6QWZjX4iEC3ZpNZrT

Sincerely,
Your Friendly Cannabis vendor,

alwaysfire
alwaysfire@risup.net
alwaysfire@jabber.calyxinstitute.org
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