GIGABYTE has taken immediate action to address security vulnerabilities in more than 270 motherboards that could potentially allow the installation of malware. The firmware updates were released in response to findings by Eclypsium, a hardware security company, which uncovered flaws in a legitimate GIGABYTE feature used for software auto-updates in Windows.
These vulnerabilities are related to the Windows Platform Binary Table (WPBT), a feature in Windows that allows firmware developers to extract and execute an executable in the operating system during boot. GIGABYTE motherboards utilize WPBT to automatically install an auto-update application, but Eclypsium discovered security weaknesses that could be exploited in man-in-the-middle attacks to deliver malware.
Eclypsium’s investigation revealed that when the GIGABYTEUpdateService.exe executable is executed by the firmware, it connects to GIGABYTE URLs to download and install the latest version of the auto-update software.
The problem arises from the fact that two of the URLs use non-secure HTTP connections, making them susceptible to hijacking in man-in-the-middle attacks, which could result in the installation of malicious software. Additionally, GIGABYTE did not perform signature verification for downloaded files, leaving the possibility of malicious or tampered files being installed.
In response, GIGABYTE has released firmware updates for Intel 400/500/600/700 and AMD 400/500/600 series motherboards, aiming to fortify system security. The updates include stricter security checks during the boot process, implementing measures such as enhanced validation for downloaded files from remote servers to ensure their integrity and legitimacy. GIGABYTE has also enabled standard cryptographic verification of remote server certificates to guarantee that files are downloaded only from trusted and valid servers.
While the risks associated with these vulnerabilities are considered low, it is recommended that all GIGABYTE motherboard users install the latest firmware updates to benefit from the security fixes.
Additionally, users who wish to remove the GIGABYTE auto-update application should first disable the ‘APP Center Download & Install Configuration’ setting in the BIOS, followed by uninstalling the software in Windows.
