[PATCH] Bluetooth: btrtl: Avoid loading the config file on security chips

From: Max Chou

Date: Wed Nov 05 2025 - 01:37:26 EST


For chips with security enabled, it's only possible to load firmware
with a valid signature pattern.

- Example log for a security chip.

Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: examining hci_ver=0c hci_rev=000a
lmp_ver=0c lmp_subver=8922
Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: rom_version status=0 version=1
Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: loading rtl_bt/rtl8922au_fw.bin
Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: cfg_sz 0, total sz 71301
Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: fw version 0x41c0c905

- Example log for a normal chip.

Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: examining hci_ver=0c hci_rev=000a
lmp_ver=0c lmp_subver=8922
Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: rom_version status=0 version=1
Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: loading rtl_bt/rtl8922au_fw.bin
Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: loading rtl_bt/rtl8922au_config.bin
Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: cfg_sz 6, total sz 71307
Bluetooth: hci0: RTL: fw version 0x41c0c905

Tested-by: Hilda Wu <hildawu@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Nial Ni <niall_ni@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Signed-off-by: Max Chou <max.chou@xxxxxxxxxxx>
---
drivers/bluetooth/btrtl.c | 24 +++++++++++++-----------
1 file changed, 13 insertions(+), 11 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/bluetooth/btrtl.c b/drivers/bluetooth/btrtl.c
index 8290932b8f7b..f6fccc6fdf22 100644
--- a/drivers/bluetooth/btrtl.c
+++ b/drivers/bluetooth/btrtl.c
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@

#define RTL_CHIP_SUBVER (&(struct rtl_vendor_cmd) {{0x10, 0x38, 0x04, 0x28, 0x80}})
#define RTL_CHIP_REV (&(struct rtl_vendor_cmd) {{0x10, 0x3A, 0x04, 0x28, 0x80}})
-#define RTL_SEC_PROJ (&(struct rtl_vendor_cmd) {{0x10, 0xA4, 0x0D, 0x00, 0xb0}})
+#define RTL_SEC_PROJ (&(struct rtl_vendor_cmd) {{0x10, 0xA4, 0xAD, 0x00, 0xb0}})

#define RTL_PATCH_SNIPPETS 0x01
#define RTL_PATCH_DUMMY_HEADER 0x02
@@ -544,7 +544,6 @@ static int rtlbt_parse_firmware_v2(struct hci_dev *hdev,
{
struct rtl_epatch_header_v2 *hdr;
int rc;
- u8 reg_val[2];
u8 key_id;
u32 num_sections;
struct rtl_section *section;
@@ -559,14 +558,7 @@ static int rtlbt_parse_firmware_v2(struct hci_dev *hdev,
.len = btrtl_dev->fw_len - 7, /* Cut the tail */
};

- rc = btrtl_vendor_read_reg16(hdev, RTL_SEC_PROJ, reg_val);
- if (rc < 0)
- return -EIO;
- key_id = reg_val[0];
-
- rtl_dev_dbg(hdev, "%s: key id %u", __func__, key_id);
-
- btrtl_dev->key_id = key_id;
+ key_id = btrtl_dev->key_id;

hdr = rtl_iov_pull_data(&iov, sizeof(*hdr));
if (!hdr)
@@ -1081,6 +1073,8 @@ struct btrtl_device_info *btrtl_initialize(struct hci_dev *hdev,
u16 hci_rev, lmp_subver;
u8 hci_ver, lmp_ver, chip_type = 0;
int ret;
+ int rc;
+ u8 key_id;
u8 reg_val[2];

btrtl_dev = kzalloc(sizeof(*btrtl_dev), GFP_KERNEL);
@@ -1191,6 +1185,14 @@ struct btrtl_device_info *btrtl_initialize(struct hci_dev *hdev,
goto err_free;
}

+ rc = btrtl_vendor_read_reg16(hdev, RTL_SEC_PROJ, reg_val);
+ if (rc < 0)
+ goto err_free;
+
+ key_id = reg_val[0];
+ btrtl_dev->key_id = key_id;
+ rtl_dev_dbg(hdev, "%s: key id %u", __func__, key_id);
+
btrtl_dev->fw_len = -EIO;
if (lmp_subver == RTL_ROM_LMP_8852A && hci_rev == 0x000c) {
snprintf(fw_name, sizeof(fw_name), "%s_v2.bin",
@@ -1213,7 +1215,7 @@ struct btrtl_device_info *btrtl_initialize(struct hci_dev *hdev,
goto err_free;
}

- if (btrtl_dev->ic_info->cfg_name) {
+ if (btrtl_dev->ic_info->cfg_name && !btrtl_dev->key_id) {
if (postfix) {
snprintf(cfg_name, sizeof(cfg_name), "%s-%s.bin",
btrtl_dev->ic_info->cfg_name, postfix);
--
2.43.0