UEFIs booting Windows and Linux devices can be hacked by malicious logo images.

Just about every Windows and Linux device vulnerable to new LogoFAIL firmware attack::UEFIs booting Windows and Linux devices can be hacked by malicious logo images.

  • Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    1 year ago

    The article quoted the researchers who indicated it can be done with remote access by using other attack vectors. This is because most UEFI systems store the logo on disk in the EFI system partition. It doesn’t need to do anything crazy like compile and flash a modified firmware. All it needs to do is overwrite the logo file on disk.

    • gnutrino@programming.devEnglish
      162·
      1 year ago

      If you have access to directly write to arbitrary disk locations you already have full control. Why bother with overwriting the logo file with a malicious payload if you can just overwrite the actual kernel…

      • surewhynotlem@lemmy.worldEnglish
        18·
        1 year ago

        Because this can persist beyond an OS rebuild or patch. You infect the BIOS and you’re on the device until the BIOS is free reflashed. And who ever does that?

      • ClemaX@lemm.eeEnglish
        6·
        1 year ago

        Due to Secure Boot (if it actually enabled since there are some bogous implementations) this can be prevented. If I understand it correctly, LogoFAIL bypasses this security measure and enables loading unsigned code.

    • Tar_Alcaran@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      6·
      1 year ago

      Ah, that’s much easier than I thought. I guess I’m horrible out of date on my “messing with BIOS” knowledge

    • Octopus1348@lemy.lolEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      If it’s on the disk, why doesn’t the image get removed when I erase all partitions? Does the firmware put it back?

      • Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.worldEnglish
        3·
        1 year ago

        If I’m understanding this correctly this isn’t necessarily the very first logo that would appear but one that appears as the firmware starts to boot an OS from the EFI system partition. So technically installing your OS puts the original non-malicious logo there.

      • matter@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        It does, but if it has compromised the BIOS before that, that won’t get wiped.