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.
The threat is coming from inside the supply chain Black Hat Asia Threat groups have infected millions of Androids worldwide with malicious firmware before the devices have even been shipped from their manufacturers, according to Trend Micro researchers at Black Hat Asia.…
While Intel is still investigating the incident, the security industry is bracing itself for years of potential firmware insecurity if the keys indeed were exposed.
What has firmware got to do with pop rock, you ask? That's the question that crossed a security researcher's mind as he analyzed Kingston's firmware and stumbled upon the lyrics of a popular Coldplay song buried deep within it. [...]
What has firmware got to do with pop rock, you ask? That's the question that crossed a security researcher's mind as he analyzed Kingston's firmware and stumbled upon the lyrics of a popular Coldplay song buried deep within it. [...]
Intel is investigating the leak of alleged private keys used by the Intel BootGuard security feature, potentially impacting its ability to block the installation of malicious UEFI firmware on MSI devices. [...]
The threat actors behind the ransomware attack on Taiwanese PC maker MSI last month have leaked the company's private code signing keys on their dark website