COMMON ATTACK PATTERN ENUMERATION AND CLASSIFICATIONLive MITRE record

CAPEC-532

Altered Installed BIOS

An attacker with access to download and update system software sends a maliciously altered BIOS to the victim or victim supplier/integrator, which when installed allows for future exploitation.

Abstraction

Detailed

Typical severity

High

Likelihood of attack

Low

Understand the attack

What is this attack pattern?

An attacker with access to download and update system software sends a maliciously altered BIOS to the victim or victim supplier/integrator, which when installed allows for future exploitation.

Requirements

What does the attack require?

Prerequisites

  • Advanced knowledge about the installed target system design.
  • Advanced knowledge about the download and update installation processes.
  • Access to the download and update system(s) used to deliver BIOS images.

Skills required

  • High: Able to develop a malicious BIOS image with the original functionality as a normal BIOS image, but with added functionality that allows for later compromise and/or disruption.

Resources required

Not stated in the MITRE record.

Defence

How is it prevented and mitigated?

1
Deploy strong code integrity policies to allow only authorized apps to run.
2
Use endpoint detection and response solutions that can automaticalkly detect and remediate suspicious activities.
3
Maintain a highly secure build and update infrastructure by immediately applying security patches for OS and software, implementing mandatory integrity controls to ensure only trusted tools run, and requiring multi-factor authentication for admins.
4
Require SSL for update channels and implement certificate transparency based verification.
5
Sign update packages and BIOS patches.
6
Use hardware security modules/trusted platform modules to verify authenticity using hardware-based cryptography.

Real world

MITRE example instances

Example instance 1Detail
An attacker compromises the download and update portion of a manufacturer's web presence, and develops a malicious BIOS that in addition to the normal functionality will also at a specific time of day disable the remote access subsystem's security checks. The malicious BIOS is put in place on the manufacturer's website, the victim location is sent an official-looking email informing the victim of the availability of a new BIOS with bug fixes and enhanced performance capabilities to entice the victim to install the new BIOS quickly. The malicious BIOS is downloaded and installed on the victim's system, which allows for additional compromise by the attacker.
CAPEC-532: Altered Installed BIOS — DayBreach Saldırı Sözlüğü · DayBreach