Stay updated on firmware security: Explore the latest threats, updates, and protection strategies for safeguarding critical system software.
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Background for this topic.
Firmware is software stored in a device’s nonvolatile memory that initializes and controls hardware, often before an operating system or application runs. It may reside in computers, network equipment, phones, industrial controllers, storage devices, and embedded components. Firmware can be updated, so it is not necessarily permanent or read-only.
Firmware matters to security because vulnerabilities or unauthorized changes can affect a device beneath the operating system and may persist across software reinstallation. Important controls include authenticated, cryptographically signed updates; secure boot, which verifies code before execution; protection against unauthorized flashing and downgrade attacks; and a reliable recovery mechanism. Practitioners also need firmware inventories, vulnerability tracking, and a supported update process, since obscure components can remain unpatched or use insecure update mechanisms. During an investigation, verifying firmware integrity and the device’s boot chain can help distinguish an operating-system compromise from a deeper modification.
Weekly headline count for the current query.
Cybersecurity researchers have discovered 11 old, Microsoft-signed, Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) applications that could be abused to bypass Secure Boot on most systems using the modern firmware standard
Researchers at firmware security firm Binarly have found six new flaws in U-Boot, the small program that starts up hardware as varied as home routers, smart cameras, and the management chips inside data-center servers
Several versions of firmware released by Chinese network device manufacturer Tenda have been found to embed an undocumented authentication backdoor that enables administrative access to the devices' web management interfaces, the CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) warned Monday
Security firm runZero has disclosed seven vulnerabilities in FatFs, a small filesystem library that lets a device read and write the FAT and exFAT formats used on USB drives and SD cards
Google has announced the integration of a Rust-based Domain Name System (DNS) parser into the modem firmware as part of its ongoing efforts to beef up the security of Pixel devices and push memory-safe code at a more foundational level
A new Android backdoor that's embedded deep into the device firmware can silently harvest data and remotely control its behavior, according to new findings from Kaspersky
The CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) has disclosed details of an unpatched security flaw impacting TOTOLINK EX200 wireless range extender that could allow a remote authenticated attacker to gain full control of the device
Certain motherboard models from vendors like ASRock, ASUSTeK Computer, GIGABYTE, and MSI are affected by a security vulnerability that leaves them susceptible to early-boot direct memory access (DMA) attacks across architectures that implement a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and input–output memory management unit (IOMMU)
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of two security vulnerabilities impacting Supermicro Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) firmware that could potentially allow attackers to bypass crucial verification steps and update the system with a specially crafted image
Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new ransomware strain dubbed HybridPetya that resembles the notorious Petya/NotPetya malware, while also incorporating the ability to bypass the Secure Boot mechanism in Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) systems using a now-patched vulnerability disclosed earlier this year
New research has uncovered Docker images on Docker Hub that contain the infamous XZ Utils backdoor, more than a year after the discovery of the incident
Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered multiple security flaws in Dell's ControlVault3 firmware and its associated Windows APIs that could have been abused by attackers to bypass Windows login, extract cryptographic keys, as well as maintain access even after a fresh operating system install by deploying undetectable malicious implants into the firmware
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed now-patched critical security flaws in the firmware of Dahua smart cameras that, if left unaddressed, could allow attackers to hijack control of susceptible devices
ASUS has disclosed a critical security flaw impacting routers with AiCloud enabled that could permit remote attackers to perform unauthorized execution of functions on susceptible devices
An exhaustive evaluation of three firewall models from Palo Alto Networks has uncovered a host of known security flaws impacting the devices' firmware as well as misconfigured security features
Details have emerged about a now-patched security vulnerability that could allow a bypass of the Secure Boot mechanism in Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) systems
Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered firmware security vulnerabilities in the Illumina iSeq 100 DNA sequencing instrument that, if successfully exploited, could permit attackers to brick or plant persistent malware on susceptible devices
A security flaw has been disclosed in OpenWrt's Attended Sysupgrade (ASU) feature that, if successfully exploited, could have been abused to distribute malicious firmware packages
Cybersecurity researchers have shed light on what has been described as the first Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) bootkit designed for Linux systems
Security vulnerabilities have been disclosed in the industrial remote access solution Ewon Cosy+ that could be abused to gain root privileges to the devices and stage follow-on attacks