Summary of BIOS Whitelist Removal Problem
Problem:
I am attempting to remove the WWAN card whitelist from my Lenovo ThinkPad T560.
Initial Findings:
- My current BIOS version is N1KET58W (1.45).
- I have a CH341A programmer and have successfully created two full backups of my BIOS.
- I have the ability to use command-line tools on a Linux machine.
- I attempted to use several automated and manual patching methods on my N1KET58W (1.45) BIOS, including using hex strings. These attempts all failed.
- I concluded that the N1KET58W (1.45) BIOS is not compatible with the standard patching methods, and a downgrade to an older, more vulnerable version is necessary.
- The target BIOS version for the downgrade is N1KTC58W, which was released in 2017.
- I attempted to find a donor BIOS file from a community site but could only find a generic file dump from 2018. Using command-line tools (strings and grep), I verified that this file is not the N1KTC58W version.
- I identified the critical importance of preserving my laptop's unique DMI data. The plan is to transfer my DMI data from my personal backup into a patched donor BIOS file.
I have my original BIOS backup, but I am unable to find a compatible donor BIOS file to patch.
I am looking for:
- A verified BIOS dump for a Lenovo ThinkPad T560 with the N1KTC58W firmware.
- Any leads on where I can find the official Lenovo update utility for the N1KTC58W BIOS, as official sources now only provide newer versions.
- Confirmation that a known working patch for the N1KTC58W BIOS exists.
To obtain a working, verified, and patched N1KTC58W BIOS file to flash onto my laptop, which will remove the WWAN whitelist and allow my card to work.
