A change queued up as part of the "x86/mm" TIP changes expected to land for Linux 6.1 will now have the default kernel configuration warn at kernel boot time around any W+X mappings that pose a security risk. . Going back to 2015 has been the "CONFIG_DEBUG_WX" kernel option to warn of mappings at kernel boot time that are set to writable and executable, since they pose a security risk. The intention of this "debug" option is to warn of W+X mappings left by the kernel after applying NX. Any mappings will be dumped to the kernel log for uncovering potential kernel problems. CONFIG_DEBUG_WX has been happily working on Linux kernel releases for the past seven years albeit not part of the x86/x86_64 default kernel configuration. But with this week's TIP x86/mm changes of material queuing ahead of the Linux 6.1 merge window, CONFIG_DEBUG_WX would be enabled by default. The link for this article located at Phoronix is no longer available. . The latest iteration of the Linux 6.1 kernel introduces notifications for W+X memory mappings during initialization, bolstering security protocols against potential threats.. Linux Kernel, Boot Security, Code Execution Risk. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
The flashable memory on graphics cards and other add-on hardware could easily be used to hide malicious code on computer systems, yet still run the software at boot time, a researcher told attendees at the Black Hat DC conference on Wednesday. . Such surreptitious code, known as a rootkit, could be hidden in the expansion read-only memory (ROM) frequently used by add-on Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) cards, said John Heasman, a security researcher with Next-Generation Security Software. The expansion ROM attack could update itself using a covert channel to the Internet, runs at boot time and would be fairly difficult to detect. It doesn't help that the developers creating device drivers don't normally consider security, he said. The link for this article located at SecurityFocus is no longer available. . This clandestine software, referred to as a bootkit, might be concealed within the firmware of the device.. Rootkit Threat,Hacking Techniques,Hardware Exploit. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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