According to the reports of the data security firm, Eclypsium the USB peripherals used by the users are making their PCs vulnerable to cybercriminals and mischievous youth always looking to steal your data. The reason behind this vulnerability is the use of unsigned firmware in most of the peripherals based on Linux and Windows. It often opens a room for all types of attack including spyware, ransomware, etc. Firmware is considered to be unsigned if the manufacturers have not introduced the validation key. So, it often led to the introduction of malicious code once when downloaded and installed the drivers or updates coming from manufacturers.
The data security firm has declared in a research that it has searched unsigned firmware in trackpads, USB hubs, Wi-Fi adapters, cameras used in PCs made by Dell, HP, Lenovo, and other manufacturers. The data security firm, Eclypsium further proved its research by demonstrations and took each product of the three big manufacturers to show the attack on a server with the use of network interface cards having unsigned firmware. It has been further proved that once the Firmware will be infected on any of the components then it becomes impossible for any antivirus to detect the malware. Despite this, the manufacturers of peripherals are not adopting the to introduce signed firmware leaving millions of Linux systems and Windows at risk.
The vulnerable USB devices are at the risk of firmware attacks leading to the destruction and exfiltration of data along with disrupting operations and delivering ransomware. Even though the industry has progressed a lot but still has turned a blind eye to risks and vulnerabilities of unsigned firmware. The research has established the risk of unsigned firmware and the data security firm has unsigned firmware in several peripherals such as in trackpads, Wi-Fi adapters and a variety of other devices. Such issues are devastating to the operations and security of devices leading to the disruption to several components including drives, network cards, and other peripherals. The disruptions to components provide the cyber attackers’ several ways to steal the online information and delivering ransomware along with disabling the devices.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to fix the issues unless the manufacturers roll out the signed firmware but many of the manufacturers introducing hard drives such as SSD and HDDs by updating them to only accept the signed firmware. Many other companies are also updating their devices to verify the threats but many others are still open to the risk. However, the users should keep in mind that even after the devices got updated the users will require to download and install the devices themselves and it won’t be easy. The users have to keep a check on the devices for unsigned drivers and firmware as there is still no fix for the issue. Here, is the steps for the users to check the devices for unsigned firmware:-
- The users will require to go to the Start menu of Windows and open it.
- Then, you have to look for Device Manager and then run it.
- In further steps, the users will require to go to the Device Manager and then click right on a device.
- Further, you have to tap on the option “Properties”.
- Now, the users will need to move to the tab “Driver” and then you will find a tab listed as “Digital Signer”.
- The users have to see if it is listed as blank or unsigned then it is indicating that the firmware is unsigned.
- Now, move to the “Driver Details” and click on it. When the users will click on it, then a window having a list of installed drivers for that particular device will appear.
- The users will find that the signed devices will appear with an icon having a certificate.
The users having Linux based devices can also check if their devices have signed firmware; however, the steps will be a little different. You should check the updates for software of any devices you have installed are unsigned or firmware signed.
Ava Williams is a creative person who has been writing blogs and articles about cyber security. He writes about the latest updates regarding mcafee.com/activate and how it can improve the work experience of users. His articles have been published in many popular e-magazines, blogs and websites.
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