PC giant warns of hardware trojan

[begood]

Computer maker Dell is warning, according to The Register, that some of its server motherboards have been delivered to customers carrying an unwanted extra: computer malware. It could be confirmation that the "hardware trojans" long posited by some security experts are indeed a real threat.

Unlike hard-drive-based computer viruses which can be disabled by antivirus software, a hardware trojan lives out of reach of such defences. It comprises some kind of alteration - by sabotage or accident - to the very heart of a computer: its microprocessors, memory chips or circuit boards.

News that Dell may have a hardware trojan problem emerged on a support forum after a user was warned by a Dell call centre that the firm's PowerEdge R410 server motherboard contains spyware of unspecified function that a Dell engineer needed to come and remove.

Dell confirms on the same forum: "The potential issue involves a small number of PowerEdge server motherboards sent out through service dispatches that may contain malware. This malware code has been detected on the embedded server management firmware."

Firmware is the semi-permanent software that controls vital internal components. It will be fascinating to find out how the malware got into Dell's firmware, not least because firmware should have been subject to high physical and computer security procedures.

But the threat of hardware Trojans has been recognised at the highest levels. The Pentagon is spending millions on research designed to ensure it can trust the microchips in critical systems, especially those made outside the US.

Elsewhere, researchers are also investigating the threat from would-be chip-plant saboteurs, who poison the chip-making processes to introduce a "kill switch" that makes the chip fail unexpectedly.

Short Sharp Science: PC giant warns of hardware trojan

[prodil89]

Si ce ar avea de castigat ei cu acest "kill switch"??

Bani??

[begood]

cine zice ca-i doar killswitch ?

[nedo]

pai ia gandeste-te, aceste componente compromise ajung in sisteme instalate pe diverse platforme de armament din sua, cum ar fi diferite servere care monitorizeaza spatiul aerian, si aceste servere primesc semnalul sa se defecteze toate simultan, asta inseamna un gol imens in spatiul aerian pe o perioada nedeterminata, care poate duce la un atac spre exemplu, la accidente aviatice, sau la orice altceva, un alt exemplu ar fi echipamente comprimise ajung in tancurile si avioanele lor, aceste sunt undeva pe campul de lupta si primesc semnalul sa se strice acele tancuri sau avioane fie sunt afectate dar pot sa isi continue partial misiunea fie vor fi scoase din uz complet iar asta ar duce la pierderea unei lupte sau mai multora, implicatiile sunt enorme.

[redox]

sa fim seriosi ? tu chiar crezi ca doar atat ajuge sa sabotezi asemenea sisteme ? gadeste-te numai ca un "amarat" de cash&carry gen metro, real, sau selgros au sisteme "clonate" ca sa zic asa in care toate componentele is de 2 ori, 2 placi de baza etc

mai degraba is folosite pentru a obtine acces "permanent" la sistemele respective