Hiding a Rootkit In System Management Mode 119
Sniper223 notes a PC World article on a new kind of rootkit recently developed by researchers, which will be demoed at Black Hat in August. The rootkit runs in System Management Mode, a longtime feature of x86 architecture that allows for code to run in a locked part of memory. It is said to be harder to detect, potentially, than VM-based rootkits. The article notes that the technique is unlikely to lead to widespread expoitation: "Being divorced from the operating system makes the SMM rootkit stealthy, but it also means that hackers have to write this driver code expressly for the system they are attacking."
hmm (Score:5, Funny)
Re:hmm (Score:5, Funny)
Isn't that like using a gun to prevent a cold? Yes I suppose it's effective, but still...
Re:hmm (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Difficult in practice (Score:4, Funny)
Exactly. Windows was written to solve this very problem. All this talk about hiding root kits in SMM is one giant leap backwards.
I'm Canadian, you insensitive clod! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:oooooh scary (Score:3, Funny)
That's exactly what the unstoppable supervirus wants you to think!
Re:hmm (Score:5, Funny)