Items tagged with Firmware
If you're a usual user of a consumer device like the ROG Ally, when an update comes down, you install it. Certainly the device itself advises you to do so. However, if you already have a ROG Ally and are enjoying the machine's high performance, don't update to BIOS version 319 through the MyASUS app. While it fixes a...
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Do you have an internet-connected HP OfficeJet Pro printer? Better disconnect it, quick. A bugged firmware update that gets automatically installed onto some HP OfficeJet printers has been found to brick the device under certain circumstances, and the only way to avoid getting it is to disconnect the printer from the...
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If you follow hardware news at all, you are surely aware of the "exploding CPU" issue surrounding the Ryzen 7 7800X3D and certain Socket AM5 motherboards, particularly (but not exclusively) those from the ASUS ROG family. If you're not familiar, that's basically the gist of it right there: certain motherboards, when...
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If there were a massive security flaw affecting all current Intel processors, you'd want to know about it, right? We'd like to know too, but unfortunately mum's the word from Intel on the reason for a recent microcode update for almost all of its processors going back to 2017.
The update came out on Friday, which...
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If you follow tech news at all, you're almost certainly already aware of the much-publicized issue where certain AMD motherboards, when configured a certain way, can very literally cause the Socket AM5 CPU to explode, destroying the CPU and possibly damaging the motherboard, too. AMD's already issued a new AGESA...
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Until very recently, DDR5 DIMMs came in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB capacities—at least as long as we're talking about the kind of unbuffered memory you'll find in most non-server PCs. You may have heard that larger 24GB and 48GB capacities are now available, but what you may not have realized is that those unusually-sized...
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Among the requirements for installing Windows 11 are two security features: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0 and Secure Boot. As we’ve documented before, it’s possible to sidestep these requirements and force a Windows 11 install or upgrade anyway. Microsoft even published a registry hack to give users this...
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Normally, on Ryzen platforms, we recommend applying new BIOS updates as soon as they're available. AMD puts continuous work into the AGESA firmware for its CPUs, and this sometimes results in major stability improvements or performance gains thanks to improved memory performance or feature support. Folks on a Ryzen 5...
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When AMD's Socket AM4 platform for its brand-new Zen processors debuted, it came along with a number of growing pains. Most pressing were those related to the memory controller, but there were problems with USB connectivity and some early reliability issues, too. It's natural to expect there'd be similar teething...
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Did you or someone you know build an AMD Ryzen machine only to be frustrated by strange stuttering issues? These problems have always existed in certain Ryzen systems, but only with the release of Windows 11 did the issue come to the forefront, because Windows 11 mandates the use of a Trusted Platform Module...
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Do you own an Apple Studio Display? Have you been frustrated by the update failure errors over the past couple of days? And has it affected the ability to update your macOS as well? Well, an easy solution is at hand.
Try again. No, seriously, that is the solution. Apple made a booboo with the software signing for...
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When folks talk about major security flaws like the Log4shell exploit in Log4j, or the Eternal Silence UPnP exploit, everyone tends to panic until they're resolved. That's because those bugs are remotely exploitable, meaning that they can be used to attack a system over the internet without placing the attacker in...
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A team from Binarly, a firmware protection company, recently discovered several repeatable anomalies on twenty different enterprise machines in the course of a job for a midsize enterprise company. After looking further into these anomalies and digging all the way down into the disassembly code, the team found 23...
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Earlier this week, we reported on a rising trend of cybersecurity incidents worldwide, leading to the end of many businesses. Now, Microsoft is reporting that firmware attacks are also on the rise. Thus, Microsoft is working to help quell the problem in the future with new comprehensive investments into security.
As...
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Attackers with physical access to a device can generally do the most damage to a machine. This remains true with CVE-2020-8705, where an attacker with physical access can gain control of the system firmware while the device resumes from a sleep state. This means there could be privilege escalations, data loss, and...
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Users of the Samsung Galaxy S20 line of smartphones have received several firmware updates for the devices since they launched. The last update for the S20 family that was released globally had several issues in particular for Galaxy S20 Ultra owners. Among the issues was a green tint to the display with the high...
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Well, this is disturbing. Russian security researcher Vladislav Yarmak is warning of a backdoor that exists in firmware for digital video recorder (DVR) and network video recorder (NVR) powered by HiSilicon system-on-chip (SoC) hardware. This is a zero-day vulnerability that could allow an attacker to gain root access...
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Owners of certain models of Lenovo computers have found that their USB ports and Thunderbolt ports may not work as they should. Multiple Lenovo notebook models have been identified as having issues with their USB-C connectors. The faulty ports often begin to malfunction after six or 12 months of use. Users having...
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There's no question that we’re are living in relatively dangerous times with regards to cybersecurity concerns. There isn't a week that goes by that we don't hear of app malware, some large corporation's customers database being raided, or devices themselves being the subject of low-level attacks. The good news...
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Last month reports were making the rounds that Microsoft had started to issue replacements for Surface Pro 4 devices that had screen issues due to faulty firmware updates. Some Surface Pro 4 owners were able to get Microsoft to give them a warranty replacement, and others were unsuccessful in getting that done...
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Back in October Google disabled the touch controls on the Google Home Mini after a flaw in the controls left the speaker listening to everything that was said in a home. The touch controls on the top of the unit were supposed to be used to activate the Google Assistant.
Originally it was said that the touch...
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Around two years ago, researchers discovered serious firmware vulnerabilities in Mac laptops and desktops, and then developed a proof-of-concept worm to demonstrate how potentially damaging they could be. Since then, Apple has been pretty good about including EFI (extensible firmware interface) updates with its macOS...
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