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Design flaw in Intel processors opens door to rootkits, researcher says

Design flaw in Intel processors opens door to rootkits, researcher says

August 7, 2015


A design in the x86- dating back almost two decades could allow attackers to install a in the low-level firmware of computers, a security researcher said Thursday. Such malware could be undetectable by security products.
The vulnerability stems from a feature first added to the x86 architecture in 1997. It was disclosed Thursday at the security by Christopher Domas, a security researcher with the Battelle Memorial Institute.
By leveraging the flaw, attackers could install a rootkit in the processors System Management Mode (SMM), a protected region of code that underpins all the firmware security features in modern computers.

The vulnerability stems from a feature first added to the x86 architecture in 1997. It was disclosed Thursday at the black hat security conference by Christopher Domas, a security researcher with the Battelle Memorial Institute.

By leveraging the flaw, attackers could install a rootkit in the processors System Management Mode (SMM), a protected region of code that underpins all the firmware security features in modern computers.

 

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