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BIOS "Rootkit" Preloaded In 60% of New Laptops

Posted by kdawson on from the hijacking-lojack dept.

Keldrin_1 writes "Researchers Alfredo Ortega and Anibal Sacco, from Core Security Technologies, have discovered a vulnerability in the 'Computrace LoJack for Laptops' software. This is a BIOS-level application that calls home for instructions in case the laptop is ever lost or stolen. However, what the application considers 'home' is subject to change. This allows the creation of malware capable of 'infecting the BIOS with persistent code that survive reboots and reflashing attempts.' Computers from Dell, Lenovo, HP, Toshiba, Asus, and others may be affected."

8 of 236 comments (clear)

  1. Hmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    P.C. Phone Home.

  2. From Mogwai to Gremlin by CrimsonKnight13 · · Score: 3, Funny

    LoJack swiftly changes to HiJack with a good splash of water

    --
    Libera te ex Inferis!
    1. Re:From Mogwai to Gremlin by trevorrowe · · Score: 5, Funny

      LoJack swiftly changes to HiJack with a good meal after midnight

      There, fixed that for you. A splash of water would give you more laptops... if only ...

  3. Re:It is time by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 4, Funny

    Busg happen. Consider the /. "write once" paradigm.

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  4. Re:It is time by $RANDOMLUSER · · Score: 4, Funny

    Woosh

    --
    No folly is more costly than the folly of intolerant idealism. - Winston Churchill
  5. Re:It is time by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 3, Funny

    That's nice. "Hello, customer. There's a fatal bug in your BIOS. Of course, there's not a damn thing you can do about it, since the BIOS on this model isn't changable, but at least you know about it now."

  6. LoJack is now by Phizzle · · Score: 4, Funny

    LOLjack

    --
    I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. My life is my own.
  7. Re:It is time by darksabre · · Score: 3, Funny

    Damn, I've just wasted 15 years of my life porting BIOSes to different platforms. Thanks for telling me that it was all unnecessary. Hardware manufacturers will also be pleased to know that they can just use a smaller ROM of a few KB instead of the 4MB ROMs that are coming into use now. That will save a few pennies.

    I bow before your in depth and vastly superior knowledge of the subject.