Rakshasa ? a demon of computer's BIOS - Dedicated 2-viruses

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One more malware, Rakshasa, called after a demon from the Hindu mythology, was developed by researchers as a proof of a concept. It infects computer?s BIOS (Basic Input Output System). According to its creator, security researcher Jonathan Brossard, it can replace BIOS and compromise the system while it is restarting without leaving any signs on the hard drive. This malware can also infect the PCI firmware of other peripheral technologies such as network cards and CD-ROMs. The code works on 230 different models of motherboard.

J Brossard designed this malicious program to be installed by anybody who has physical access to computer hardware. This can be done while manufacturing a machine or simply using USB stick. Since Rakshasa was developed for scientific purposes only, the code is not released but the researcher is sure that similar tools are already invented elsewhere.

There is only one way to remove Rakshasa. You will need to shut down your machine and manually reflash every peripheral. This is almost impossible to process for a common computer user since one needs special equipment as well as knowledge to perform the actions needed.

Good to know that Rakshasa is not in the hands of computer criminals yet but since the malware was invented once; antimalware researchers should be ready for similar malicious programs attacks and know how to deal with these.

Source: thehackernews.com

Giedrius Majauskas (admin) Articles

Source: http://www.2-viruses.com/rakshasa-%E2%80%93-a-demon-of-computer%E2%80%98s-bios

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