Microsoft Announces New Device Security Requirements for Greater Firmware Safety

Despite all recent advancements in software security, the number of hacking attacks in the world still remains quite high, indicating that bad actors are finding other methods of infecting unsuspecting users. Microsoft believes that one of the alternative methods is gaining access through firmware, which is why the company and its partners worked on developing a potential solution to the problem. According to Microsoft’s new announcements, the company will be launching a new initiative that was being worked on in secret. It comes in the form of a new type of Secured-core PCs, which were created with partners, and which meet a set of specific requirements that should make PCs more secure. Furthermore, Microsoft stressed that these devices are specifically designed to be used by industries that need it most, such as healthcare, financial services, governments, as well as workers that work with personal data of customers, highly-sensitive IPs, and other data that is in need of protection. Microsoft’s idea of improving firmware comes after the discovery of a hacking group called Strontium in late 2018. Security researchers had discovered that the group has been exploiting vulnerabilities in firmware to target unprotected systems, which made malicious code hard to detect, and even harder to remove. Microsoft’s new solution will combine identity, OS, virtualization, firmware protection, and hardware to create another security layer that would operate underneath the OS. The new security would prevent firmware attacks, rather than simply detect them, as software-only solutions tend to do. The new set of requirements would be able to protect devices from firmware vulnerabilities, prevent unauthorized access to data, as well as protect the OS itself. Furthermore, the new security will work alongside other Windows features that ensure the safety of devices. What do you think about Microsoft’s new approach to security? Are you concerned about firmware attacks? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.

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