Advice Request I can't find an External DVD mechanic with Firmware downloads!

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empleat

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Mar 23, 2020
27
Hello,

I can't find an external mechanic with firmware downloads. I Am not talking about autotool update utility, which updates to newest version only, if it detects out of date firmware! I Am talking about proper downloads of firmware (from a manufacturer website) which you can flash to the DVD mechanic. It was recommended to me on a security forums. I need this long time, but couldn't find it anywhere... It just needs to handle burning DVDs and DVD-R. It is strange that you can't find it anywhere...

Thanks for help!
 

empleat

Level 1
Thread author
Mar 23, 2020
27
Ofc. they want you to buy new hardware each time... I know it is unlikely, but it can happen to anyone. And it is 2020... There is a way for instance: to check to BIOS for firmware, don't know if the same method works for DVD rom. Also read dumpers could be deceived, so you would have to attach electronically to the chip, which is overkill for end-users... Putting the spotlight on firmware malware I know bank should return money, but you never know... It depends... I would rather prevent it in the first place... But it is so annoying to be solving this and I Am not in a good mood...

BTW: there are not even WPA 3 smartphones yet except most expensive ones zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... And at somewhere in 2019: I read WPA3 had same problems yikes...
 
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Freki123

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Aug 10, 2013
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As far as I understood in the article they talk about the mainboard bios. And yes a mainboard updates brings sometimes nice improvements.
For security reasons I think if you are not hunted by a foreign country or 3letter agency the last thing they will probably try to infect is your external dvd drive.
I mean if you got all other security stuff, backups and so on covered go for it but it wouldn't be on my priority list very far up.
 

mlnevese

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May 3, 2015
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Other than your computer bios, there's no great need to update anything else. Most hardware that will benefit from firmware updates have simple ways of doing it. My Epson Printers, for instance, update themselves while they are idle if they are connected to a network. Most SSDs have manufacturer providede software that will check for a firmware update, etc.

For old technology like DVD drives? I doubt there will even be an update. I wouldn't be surprised if the firmware is more than 5 years old...
 
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TairikuOkami

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May 13, 2017
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There is a way for instance: to check to BIOS for firmware, don't know if the same method works for DVD rom.
Yes, but it did not always included the check, so you might have updated the wrong firmware and thus killing the device, there was no backup.
Last time I updated firmware for DVD was ~10 years ago, but it sort of phased out afterwards, people do not even bother updating BIOS.
Firmware updates for devices are usually done automatically via internet these days. My TV did not work, but a new firmware solved it.

 

The_King

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Aug 2, 2020
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Are you looking to extract the firmware from your device to analyze it for malware then you have to read the chip directly
using a SPi USB BIOS Programmer. These programmers dump the entire contents of the EEPROM or ROM chip to a single file.

I use a USB CH341A 24/25 EEPROM BIOS Reader/Writer to flash or extract firmware from older wireless routers and extenders and it works great especially if your device was bricked after a bad firmware flash.

Once your device firmware is extracted you can usually extract it further with 7zip and have your Antivirus scan the contents for malware.
 

empleat

Level 1
Thread author
Mar 23, 2020
27
Are you looking to extract the firmware from your device to analyze it for malware then you have to read the chip directly
using a SPi USB BIOS Programmer. These programmers dump the entire contents of the EEPROM or ROM chip to a single file.

I use a USB CH341A 24/25 EEPROM BIOS Reader/Writer to flash or extract firmware from older wireless routers and extenders and it works great especially if your device was bricked after a bad firmware flash.

Once your device firmware is extracted you can usually extract it further with 7zip and have your Antivirus scan the contents for malware.
Thanks for a great answer! I found tutorials for dumping BIOS from a motherboard. However nothing about DVD ROM (mechanic). Probably because it is esoteric. I doubt I will be able to figure out how to do it, especially now. As I said: I Am not in a good mood!

Even for dumping BIOS, this would be interesting to do. I have just one question: is it 100% safe to use just for BIOS dumping? I have ga b75-m-d2v. (rev1.0). I don't want to mess with this right now, if it is not 100% safe!

Maybe I should buy firmware protected PC just for piece of mind, was recommended to me on a security forums, but no idea how good, or bad it is: Purism– Products
 
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The_King

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The BIOS on your motherboard ga b75-m-d2v. (rev1.0) should be easy to update or extract using the software on gigabytes website.
If you are running Version F5 then you are already running the latest version and there is no need to update your BIOS.

GA BIOS.jpg

I do not recommend you updating it unless you are having problems with your motherboard.
There is always the risk that the Flash may fail and your motherboard may stop working.


Personally I would not pursue the DVD ROM firmware has Its not really a device that will pose any security risk like router firmware that contains malware.
 
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empleat

Level 1
Thread author
Mar 23, 2020
27
The BIOS on your motherboard ga b75-m-d2v. (rev1.0) should be easy to update or extract using the software on gigabytes website.
If you are running Version F5 then you are already running the latest version and there is no need to update your BIOS.

View attachment 255148

I do not recommend you updating it unless you are having problems with your motherboard.
There is always the risk that the Flash may fail and your motherboard may stop working.


Personally I would not pursue the DVD ROM firmware has Its not really a device that will pose any security risk like router firmware that contains malware.
Yeah but on virustotal.com is that, SW extraction is not always reliable. I wanted currently just to dump BIOS to check it for viruses. And I asked: if you can't damage anything by doing this! And CH341A is cheap. I asked to know, if you can damage something by using it improperly, so how hard is to dump BIOS using that? But maybe I should just get puri.sm. Is it good? I read wikipedia page, but it wasn't much useful... There were some critics, that they didn't provide they own BIOS, which should now be solved. It would be also more comfortable for me than using linux and installing browser each time and I need yet DNS over TLS and what not...

Router: I Am thinking of Pfsense! It is for same price as crappy ASUS WPA 3 router full of security holes, which can't even run OpenWRT, because low RAM and flash memory :D
 
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The_King

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Aug 2, 2020
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Yeah but on virustotal.com is that, SW extraction is not always reliable. I wanted currently just to dump BIOS to check it for viruses. And I asked: if you can't damage anything by doing this! And CH341A is cheap. I asked to know, if you can damage something by using it improperly, so how hard is to dump BIOS using that? But maybe I should just get puri.sm. Is it good? I read wikipedia page, but it wasn't much useful... There were some critics, that they didn't provide they own BIOS, which should now be solved. It would be also more comfortable for me than using linux and installing browser each time and I need yet DNS over TLS and what not...

Router: I Am thinking of Pfsense! It is for same price as crappy ASUS WPA 3 router full of security holes, which can't even run OpenWRT, because low RAM and flash memory :D

It is very easy to damage your BIOS chip using the CH341A or other similar devices.

BIOS chips can operate at different voltages some are 3.3V others are 5V. If you select the incorrect voltage your BIOS chip can be damaged.
If the leads from your CH341A are incorrectly wired to your BIOS chip without knowing the pin layout this can also damage your chip permanently.

In short YES you can very easily damage your motherboard with the CH341A.
Using a software based BIOS reader from Gigabytes website would be much safer.

It is a good idea to go with a router that supports WPA3. If you have used pfSense before then that is a great option however it does require
much more time to configure and can be complicated for some users.

ASUS routers in general are great and have great reviews. I personally don't have a problem with them and would
recommend them to most people.
 
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empleat

Level 1
Thread author
Mar 23, 2020
27
It is very easy to damage your BIOS chip using the CH341A or other similar devices.

BIOS chips can operate at different voltages some are 3.3V others are 5V. If you select the incorrect voltage your BIOS chip can be damaged.
If the leads from your CH341A are incorrectly wired to your BIOS chip without knowing the pin layout this can also damage your chip permanently.
Oh okay, TY! I will not try right now.

I heard from FCC or something in 2016, they were full of security holes. Not sure now. But if I can have Pfsense for same price... Yes it is difficult to set up - I heard, however it should have tutorial right, if it is that expensive... Saw something on main site - not sure how detailed it is. Also can ask on forums, if I needed help.

So puri.sm Does it have good security? Is it worth it?
I was thinking about this: Purism– Librem Mini
While it is possible for a BIOS to get infected, it's highly unlikely it will happen. It's not something you need to worry about.
Yeah I know, as I said. But anything can happen literally, however improbable it is. It happens to someone right? You can go on street and sign drops on your head...
 
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roger_m

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Dec 4, 2014
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Yeah I know, as I said. But anything can happen literally, however improbable it is. It happens to someone right? You can go on street and sign drops on your head...
To start with, if you keep your system updated and are careful about what files you open, the reality is that it is very hard to get infected. As a result, there's absolutely no need to be paranoid when it comes to security. You've probably got about the same chance, or even less of your BIOS getting infected than a sign falling on your head. Do you wear a hard hat every time you go outside in case a sign falls on your head? I'm guessing that you don't, because it's something that's exceptionally unlikely to happen. Well I would say the same about checking your BIOS.
 

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