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Home / News / Science News / Millions of PCs are vulnerable to a Thunderbolt port flaw
  • Science

    Millions of PCs are vulnerable to a Thunderbolt port flaw

    Shubham Sharma
    Written by
    Shubham Sharma
    Twitter
    Last updated on May 12, 2020, 03:09 pm
    Millions of PCs are vulnerable to a Thunderbolt port flaw
  • A major security flaw has been flagged in Intel's Thunderbolt port.

    The issue is said to be affecting millions of Windows and Linux PCs manufactured before 2019. It can reportedly be used by hackers to break into your system and steal all its data in a matter of minutes.

    Here's all you need to know about it.

  • In this article
    Bypassing lockscreen, hard disk encryptions to steal data How they could break in? Attack hardware comes at just $400 New Windows, Linux notebooks are protected Check for these protections, don't leave PC unattended Intel has issued a statement on the matter
  • Attack

    Bypassing lockscreen, hard disk encryptions to steal data

  • As revealed by security researcher Björn Ruytenberg, a hacker having physical access to your old Thunderbolt-equipped machine could use a technique called 'Thunderspy' and gain access to the machine's data, Wired reported.

    The method, the researcher explained, works even when the device in question is locked with a password, its hard disk data is encrypted, and the Thunderbolt port access is disabled.

  • Details

    How they could break in?

    How they could break in?
  • According to the researcher, to carry out a Thunderspy attack on a vulnerable PC, a hacker just "needs to do is unscrew the backplate, attach a device momentarily, reprogram the firmware [controlling the Thunderbolt port], reattach the backplate."

    The reprogrammed firmware would let the hacker change Thunderbolt port settings and open the way for any malicious peripheral device to access it.

  • Impact

    Attack hardware comes at just $400

  • Ruytenberg says the hardware for rewriting the Thunderbolt controller's firmware and overriding its security mechanisms comes at just $400 and could be miniaturized pretty easily in the future.

    It gives "full access to the laptop," he said, adding that the entire attack could be wrapped up in less than 5 minutes, without leaving a trace behind.

  • Fix

    New Windows, Linux notebooks are protected

    New Windows, Linux notebooks are protected
  • The vulnerability was disclosed to Intel in February, following which the company issued a statement clarifying that it has created a Thunderbolt security system called Kernel Direct Memory Access Protection to prevent Thunderspy attacks.

    However, the thing is, these protections are only available with select notebooks launched in 2019 or later. Older notebooks, including some newer ones from HP, Dell, Lenovo, are still unprotected.

  • Protection

    Check for these protections, don't leave PC unattended

    Check for these protections, don't leave PC unattended
  • That said, to stay protected, you need to make sure if your notebook has Intel's Thunderbolt protection or not.

    If yes, you are good to go. But, in case the security protections are not there, you need to be careful while using the Thunderbolt port. This means you should make sure that it is only used with trusted devices.

  • Quote

    Intel has issued a statement on the matter

  • Meanwhile, Intel says the researchers didn't demonstrate an attack on PCs with its latest mitigation. "Please check with your system manufacturer to determine if your system has these mitigations incorporated. For all systems, we recommend following standard security practices, including the use of trusted peripherals."

  • Security
  • Intel
  • Dell
  • Lenovo
  •  
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