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Intel Security has released a tool that allows users to check if their computer's low-level system firmware has been modified and contains unauthorized code.
The release comes after CIA documents leaked Tuesday revealed that the agency has developed EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) rootkits for Apple's Macbooks. A rootkit is a malicious program that runs with high privileges -- typically in the kernel -- and hides the existence of other malicious components and activities.
The documents from CIA's Embedded Development Branch (EDB) mention an OS X "implant" called DerStarke that includes a kernel code injection module dubbed Bokor and an EFI persistence module called DarkMatter.
EFI, also known as UEFI (Unified EFI), is the low-level firmware that runs before the operating system and initializes the various hardware components during the system boot process. It's the replacement for the older and much more basic BIOS in modern computers and resembles a mini operating system. It can have hundreds of "programs" for different functions implemented as executable binaries.
A malicious program hidden inside the EFI can inject malicious code into the OS kernel and can restore any malware that has been removed from the computer. This allows rootkits to survive major system updates and even reinstallations.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @09:25AM (10 children)
You need free software you can verify yourself. https://fsf.org/ [fsf.org]
There is such a free software BIOS project but I'm hesitant to link to it because of the mental breakdown of the author and their toxic hate campaign against the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation. I'm all for sexual freedom as nobody gets to choose their genes but the handling of the situation (whatever happened) has been horrible and needlessly damaged all parties involved. So, maybe take the code, definitely leave the hate. I'm talking about https://libreboot.org/ [libreboot.org]
(Score: 1, Troll) by aristarchus on Sunday March 12 2017, @09:42AM (1 child)
Please, elaborate. What campaign, what situation, what sexual freedom and what genes? But most importantly, what code? And how does it relate to those other things?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @10:17AM
Well, the main developer of libreboot Rowe decided to remove libreboot from the GNU project because she claims the FSF fired a person because of their being transgender. Now the libreboot home page contains a banner saying bad things about GNU. The code is the libreboot source code for a free BIOS.
Computers come with a proprietary BIOS. In addition of the BIOS being very slow to boot up, who knows what it contains. Also, modern BIOSes contain remote management capabilities that allow remote user to do anything at all on the computer, quite independently from any operating system installed, and even if the computer is powered off.
If I own my computer, I should be allowed to do whatever I please with it. This obviously includes a free BIOS/EFI/whatever.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @09:44AM (4 children)
> because of the mental breakdown of the author and their toxic hate campaign against the GNU project and the Free Software Foundation.
best way to fight free software is to infiltrate its projects and slow them down or orient them in wrong directions. When petty technical arguments, or removal of features, or push for code of conduct stuff surface, you better get a fork ready and closely examine the backlog of contributions from the problematic parties.
I recall a project who stalled because a contributor sent a lot of code who worked but was too obscure to be modified and the author disappeared. What is the rationale for that, different from willful EEE?
And for live attempts at disruption, see devuan mailing list.
(Score: 3, Funny) by FatPhil on Sunday March 12 2017, @11:19AM (3 children)
"orient them in wrong direction"
I see what you did there
[* wouldn't "Frances" have been a *way* simpler name change for everyone?]
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 2) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Sunday March 12 2017, @01:57PM (2 children)
Trans people generally hate their "dead name", so choose a completely different one.
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Monday March 13 2017, @10:50AM (1 child)
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 1) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Monday March 13 2017, @04:46PM
It may depend how much baggage it attached to the name as well. If your original family disowns you, you are going to be more aggressive in asserting your own identity. (I am only intimately familiar with trans people where this is the case.) I think I know of at least one person who was planning on keeping their initials, but I may have ruined that for them by "outing" them (we have not spoken since).
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @12:40PM (2 children)
Wow, reading through the libreboot dev's rant, I had trouble figuring out if it was meant to be satire or insane ranting. It even gets into the emacs vs vi debate. I think I'd rather trust the CIA for my boot sequence.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday March 12 2017, @04:56PM
Have a look over coreboot [coreboot.org].
Seems to be mature enough and still maintained [wikipedia.org]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 12 2017, @06:39PM
What you are seeing is a narcissistic meltdown. I have been following Ollie Matthews https://www.youtube.com/user/mattshsq [youtube.com] on youtube for the past month or two. He lays out exactly what a narcissist is. How they gaslight you and how they react when they are cut off.
He is trying to create a situation where you feel sorry for him. Where you have to tip-toe around them and say what they like. Even down to how you address him. Then also attacking GNU to show how much better they are. It looks crazy because it is.
Our profession as programmers lends very easily to this mentality. I know I have it. That we are 'the chosen' ones to lead the world to a better place. It can be a bitter pill to swallow that there are others much more capable and friendly enough to pull something like this off. When criticized we become very belligerent and usually double down on whatever silly BS we are pushing that day.
The free software movement is full of people like this. People looking to run a project and gaslight you into thinking only they can do this. For example the ntp fiasco from a few months ago. It was basically 3 of them clashing. The owner and the two trying to cut his project off. He had the actual power as he actually did things. The other two are looking for a project to 'save'. Or even hell the initd/systemd junk. This is not Poetterings first fiasco he has ruined. It will not be his last. Linux has for a long time needed something like systemd instead we ended up with a monster of ill defined services all smashed together. He will not budge on it. He has control and has enough supporters to crush you like a bug if you disagree. Free software almost invites this sort of mentality. It strokes the ego of whoever it is making the package that they are 'the best'. We begrudgingly let this go on because we benefit from it. Then many times when the inevitable meltdown happens we get out the popcorn and watch.