As Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) replaced legacy BIOS as the leading technology embedded into chips of modern computers and devices, it became vital to the security of the pre-OS environment and to the loading of the operating system. It’s no surprise that such a widespread technology represents a tempting target for threat actors in their search for ultimate persistence.
The latest malware found to be targeting UEFI is ESPecter, a bootkit that persists in the form of a patched Windows Boot Manager as an ESP implant. It is only the second-ever found malware of this sort, identified on a compromised device “accompanied” by a keylogging and data-stealing component.
Listen to the latest episode of ESET Research podcast where ESET Distinguished Researcher Aryeh Goretsky interviews ESET Malware Researcher Martin Smolár and ESET Director of Threat Research Jean-Ian Boutin about ESPecter, Lojax, and other threats targeting UEFI.
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