Encrypted Hilink Uimage - Firmware Header
| Offset | Size | Field | Example Value | |--------|------|---------------|-------------------| | 0x00 | 4 | ih_magic | 0x27051956 | | 0x04 | 4 | ih_hcrc | Checksum | | 0x08 | 4 | ih_time | Timestamp | | 0x0C | 4 | ih_size | Data size | | 0x10 | 4 | ih_load | Load address | | 0x14 | 4 | ih_ep | Entry point | | 0x18 | 4 | ih_dcrc | Data checksum | | 0x1C | 1 | ih_os | OS type | | 0x1D | 1 | ih_arch | Architecture | | 0x1E | 1 | ih_type | Image type | | 0x1F | 1 | ih_comp | Compression | | 0x20 | 16 | ih_name | Image name |
Example decrypted header (hexdump):
This article explains what it is, how it works, and practical methods to decrypt and analyze it. A normal, unencrypted UImage header (64 bytes) looks like this: encrypted hilink uimage firmware header
If the magic appears, you have the correct key. The rest of the firmware may be encrypted in blocks. Many HiLink images encrypt only the header + first block. The remaining data may be plain or compressed. After decryption, run: | Offset | Size | Field | Example
with open("firmware.bin", "rb") as f: enc_header = f.read(4096) Many HiLink images encrypt only the header + first block
cipher = AES.new(key, AES.MODE_CBC, iv) dec_header = cipher.decrypt(enc_header)
hexdump -C firmware.bin | head -n 20 Look for strings like "HUAWEI" , "HiLink" , or "UPDATE" at offset > 0x1000 (they often appear after the encrypted header). Method A – Static key (older devices) Search U-Boot binary (extracted via JTAG or from a decrypted image):
