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Why Bother About BIOS Security?

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Why Bother About BIOS Security? (PDF, 1.77MB)Published: 23 Jul, 2001
Created by:
Robert Allgeuer
Security is always only as strong as its weakest link. While there do exist many guidelines to secure various operating systems, there is considerably less material available on how to secure the low-level components of a PC, although these can equally be compromised in order to obtain full control over a machine. First this paper gives an overview of the BIOS and its functions. Then known threats to the BIOS and the hardware of a PC are discussed in detail and how they could be exploited. Finally countermeasures are given that can mitigate the risks.