Secure Boot Databases

Secure Boot is a protocol from the UEFI Forum. It is defined to secure the boot process by preventing the loading of UEFI drivers or OS boot loaders that are not signed with an acceptable digital signature.

SecureBootDatabaseCollection is a standard collection of databases which are named based on the functionality of keys stored in the database.

UEFI/BIOS enrolls certificates and signatures to default secure boot databases and communicates these to the Management Controller. Apart from default, user can enroll certificates/signatures under each secure boot database.

Following databases are defined by UEFI:

  • Platform Key (PK): The platform key establishes a trust relationship between the platform owner and the platform firmware.
  • Key Exchange Key (KEK): Key exchange keys establish a trust relationship between the operating system and the platform firmware. Protects the signature database from unauthorized modifications. No changes can be made to the signature database without the private portion of this key.
  • Authorized Signature Database (db): Maintains a secure boot allowed signature database of signatures that are authorized to run on the platform.
  • Forbidden Signature Database (dbx): Maintains a secure boot blacklist signature database of signatures that are not authorized to run on the platform.
  • Timestamp Signature Database (dbt): Maintains signatures of codes in the timestamp signatures database.

Each of these databases have default secure boot databases associated which are read-only:

  • PKDefault : Default Platform Key
  • KEKDefault : Default Key Exchange Key Database
  • dbDefault : Default Authorized Signature Database
  • dbxDefault : Default Forbidden Signature Database
  • dbtDefault : Default Authorized Timestamp Signature Database
  • dbrDefault : Default Authorized Recovery Signature Database

Defaults contain OEM's or platform defined default keys (certificates/signatures). Defaults are not used at runtime but is provided in order to allow the OS to recover the OEM's default key setup. Defaults are read-only.

User can view certificates and signatures present in UEFI Secure Boot databases. And user is allowed to add or one or more certificate/signature to non-default UEFI Secure Boot databases.

Database Name Description Notes
PK Platform Key Must contain a max of 1 certificate, and no signatures. When no certificate is enrolled, SecureBoot cannot be enabled.
KEK Key Exchange Key Database Can contain any number of Certificates (no signatures)
Db Authorized Signature Database Can contain any number of Certificates and/or signatures
Dbx Forbidden Signature Database Can contain any number of Certificates and/or signatures
Dbt Authorized Timestamp Signature Database Can contain any number of Certificates and/or signatures
Dbr Authorized Recovery Signature Database Can contain any number of Certificates and/or signatures
PKDefault Default Platform Key Read Only. Must contain a max of 1 certificate, and no signatures
KEKDefault Default Key Exchange Key Database Read Only. Can contain any number of Certificates (no signatures)
dbDefault Default Authorized Signature Database Read Only. Can contain any number of Certificates and/or signatures
dbxDefault Default Forbidden Signature Database Read Only. Can contain any number of Certificates and/or signatures
dbtDefault Default Authorized Timestamp Signature Database Read Only. Can contain any number of Certificates and/or signatures
dbrDefault Default Authorized Recovery Signature Database Read Only. Can contain any number of Certificates and/or signatures

For information related to Secure Databases in HPE iLO, see Managing HPE BIOS resources

Accessing Secure Boot Databases from Redfish

To access Secure Boot database resource from Redfish, perform a GET of the SecureBootDatabaseCollection URI. This resource includes links to the members of the collection, default & non-default as shown in the following example.

Generic GET requestResponse body
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GET /redfish/v1/Systems/{item}/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/
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{
    "@odata.context": "/redfish/v1/$metadata#SecureBootDatabaseCollection.SecureBootDatabaseCollection",
    "@odata.etag": "W/\"C4D3BA70\"",
    "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases",
    "@odata.type": "#SecureBootDatabaseCollection.SecureBootDatabaseCollection",
    "Description": "SecureBoot Databases View",
    "Name": "SecureBoot Databases Collection",
    "Members": [
        {
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/PKDefault"
        },
        {
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/KEKDefault"
        },
        {
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/dbDefault"
        },
        {
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/dbxDefault"
        },
        {
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/dbtDefault"
        },
        {
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/dbrDefault"
        },
        {
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/PK"
        },
        {
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/KEK"
        },
        {
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/db"
        },
        {
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/dbx"
        },
        {
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/dbt"
        },
        {
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/dbr"
        }
    ],
    "Members@odata.count": 12
}

Individual databases can be accessed using GET of their respective URIs. A GET on /redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/{@SecureBootDatabaseId} lists the certificates and signatures present under the respective database as shown in the next example:

Generic GET requestResponse body
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GET /redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/dbDefault/
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{
            "@odata.context": "/redfish/v1/$metadata#SecureBootDatabase.SecureBootDatabase",
            "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/dbDefault/",
            "@odata.type": "#SecureBootDatabase.v1_0_0.SecureBootDatabase",
            "Id": "dbDefault",
            "Certificates": {
                "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/dbDefault/Certificates/"
            },
            "DatabaseId": "dbDefault",
            "Description": "SecureBoot Database",
            "Name": "Default Authorized Signature Database",
            "Signatures": {
                "@odata.id": "/redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/dbDefault/Signatures/"
            }
        },

Individual certificates and signatures can be accessed by performing GET respectively of /redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/{@SecureBootDatabaseId}/Certificates/{@CertificateId} and /redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/{@SecureBootDatabaseId}/Signatures/{@SignatureId}.

To ENROLL a certificate in a non-default database, perform POST onto the certificate collection URI: /redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/{@SecureBootDatabaseId}/Certificates/

The following example enrolls a certificate in the Authorized signature database (db) of an iLO 6 based server.

TIP

Refer to this TIP to convert a CRLF terminated file into a string.

Generic POST requestjson
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POST /redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/{@SecureBootDatabaseId}/Certificates/
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{
    "CertificateString": "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\nMIIEXTCCA0WgAwIBAgIUILNZIX8LjJ/AMdsrsUl5eiGWY5kwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEL\nBQAwgb0xCzAJBgNVBAYTAkZSMSMwIQYDVQQIDBpQcm92ZW5jZS1BbHBlcy1Db3Rl\nFooIs\n HappyjEZMBcGA1UEBwwQU29waGlhLUFudGlwb2xpczEMMAoGA1UECgwDSFBF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\nSXPaDWGLb9dFM2VkSjo9P7c=\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n",
"CertificateType": "PEM"
}

To REMOVE a certificate/signature in the non-default database, perform DELETE on the particular member from Certificate/Signature collection URI – /redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/{@SecureBootDatabaseId}/Certificates/{@CertificateId} Or /redfish/v1/Systems/1/SecureBoot/SecureBootDatabases/{@SecureBootDatabaseId}/Signatures/{@SignatureId}