Hardware Trojan (CPU, RAM, Graphic card, BIOS)?

[Sunshine-boy]

hello, friends what if a rootkit or malware infect your CPU, bios or your hardwares?
Please let me know:
1-Ways to Avoid?
2-Ways to detect and remove them?

 

[Bryan Lam]

There's no way any virus or rootkit / malware can affect PC components other than your Storage Device. It may crash hardware but it won't cause any permanent damage nor infect it.

 

[Sunshine-boy]

hello but from what I read a malware can infect CPU bios,...

 

[Bryan Lam]

If you'd like to link me to the source, i'll slap the Author silly.

***EDIT*** Nevermind, Kudos to Author.

 

[Sunshine-boy]

Can a computer virus be stored somewhere else than on the hard drive?

 

[Bryan Lam]

Can a computer virus be stored somewhere else than on the hard drive?

Their right, although as of right now, none of these virus' exist and they probably never will unless the source code for the original exploit is revealed. That being said, every motherboard is different and if you want to infect all of them with one exploit or file it won't work in technical terms. This is because the firmware is different for every Motherboard. Along with this, most hardware based exploits can be patched through updates available through vendors *assuming they have the competence to get a team to work on a fix.


^^^Applies to New Hardware only

 

[Winter Soldier]

I remember Mebromi BIOS rootkit which can infect Award ROM BIOS manufactured by Phoenix Technologies, by transferring a part of its code within the chip, responsible for the first phases of the PC bootstrap.
Mebromi then infects the Master Boot Record of the hard disk (sector 0 of the disk where the BIOS passes the control of execution to the end of bootstrap), finally running a kernel rootkit in Windows to hide the infection to the operating system and antivirus.

Now as you see, everything is based on deception: the corruption of DNS servers that redirect to malicious sites or phishing/social engineering attacks!
No user or operating system is immune from these attacks...just common sense.

 

[Sunshine-boy]

hello, winter soldier Thank you for the comment.
so there is no way to protect urself and detect these malwares?

 

[Winter Soldier]

hello, winter soldier Thank you for the comment.
so there is no way to protect urself and detect these malwares?

If the code is known then probably signatures can detect it, otherwise, proactive, behavioural technologies, HIPS and advanced heuristics.
Prevention and common sense, first of all, IMO.

 

[SHvFl]

Lol, good luck. This scenario is beyond science fiction. The chance of aliens eliminating the whole planet by the time you read this message is higher than a typical user to find such a malware.

 

[Sunshine-boy]

@Winter Soldier, Thank you for this valuable information
so comodo hips or hitman pro alert can handle it, right?

 

[Sunshine-boy]

Lol, good luck. This scenario is beyond science fiction. The chance of aliens eliminating the whole planet by the time you read this message is higher than a typical user to find such a malware.

but still possible

 

[Winter Soldier]

@Winter Soldier, Thank you for this valuable information
so comodo hips or hitman pro alert can handle it, right?

No idea, malware scenario is continually changing, what can be detected today, it can be FUD tomorrow.
In these cases, it is very important the interaction: alarm/user, trying to identify malicious actions.

 

[frogboy]

@Winter Soldier, Thank you for this valuable information
so comodo hips or hitman pro alert can handle it, right?

I do not think you have too much to worry about in the first place from what I see.

 

[Sunshine-boy]

@frogboy you are right
I think I should stop reading about these topics on the internet or I will be crazy

 

[Winter Soldier]

Lol, good luck. This scenario is beyond science fiction. The chance of aliens eliminating the whole planet by the time you read this message is higher than a typical user to find such a malware.

I agree, sometimes these malware are proof of concept.
Quite rare got infected with this type of specialized codes, but I also think: when you are infected...the statistics lose their importance

 

[frogboy]

@frogboy you are right
I think I should stop reading about these topics on the internet or I will be crazy

Yes a good idea we do not want a crazy @public enemy on the loose here at MT.

 

[Handsome Recluse]

Yes a good idea we do not want a crazy @public enemy on the loose here at MT.

A bunch of bunnies and chicks is hardly dangerous.

 

[frogboy]

A bunch of bunnies and chicks is hardly dangerous.

A good point.

 

[Ink]

If possible, follow security advice to remain malware-free. If not, good luck.