Why Firmware Is So Vulnerable to Hacking, and What Can Be Done About It - WIRED
WIRED, by Kim Zetter
When Kaspersky Lab revealed last week that it had uncovered a sophisticated piece of malware designed to plant malicious code inside the firmware of computers, it should have surprised no one.
And that’s not just because documents leaked by Edward Snowden have shown that spy agencies like the NSA have an intense interest in hacking the firmware of systems, but also because other researchers have shown in the past how insecure firmware—in nearly all systems—is.
Computers contain a lot of firmware, all of which is potentially vulnerable to hacking—everything from USB keyboards and web cams to graphics and sound cards. Even computer batteries have firmware. Read more.