Gigabyte shipped millions of motherboards with a dangerous firmware backdoor
According to cybersecurity experts from Eclypsium, computer hardware manufacturer Gigabyte installed a backdoor in the firmware of its motherboards, putting 271 motherboard models at risk of being hacked. The lengthy list of affected models features nearly every motherboard Gigabyte has put out in recent years, including the latest Z790 and X670 units.
As Eclypsium’s blog explains, Gigabyte embedded a Windows executable into the firmware of its motherboards that runs when the computer boots up. In other words, every time you reboot your computer, code in the motherboard’s firmware initiates Gigabyte’s app center, which downloads and runs an executable payload from the internet.
Gigabyte shipped millions of motherboards with a dangerous firmware backdoor
Hugh Taylor
Hugh Taylor is a Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). In addition to editing Journal of Cyber Policy, he writes about cybersecurity, compliance and enterprise technology for such clients as Microsoft, IBM, SAP, HPE, Oracle, Google and Advanced Micro Devices. Prior to launching his freelance writing career, he served in executive roles at Microsoft, IBM and several venture-backed technology startups.