In a new research paper published on the last day of 2019, a team of American and German academics has shown that field-programmable gate array (FPGA) cards can be abused to launch better and faster Rowhammer attacks. Learn more about how FPGA cards can be abused for faster and more reliable Rowhammer attacks: . The new research expands on previous work into an attack vector known as Rowhammer . Rowhammer attacks were first detailed in 2014. The attack exploits a design flaw in the hardware modern memory cards -- most commonly known as RAM. The link for this article located at ZDNet is no longer available. . The latest study builds upon earlier findings about a vulnerability termed Rowhammer, uncovering exploitation through FPGA manipulation.. Rowhammer Exploit, FPGA Attacks, Memory Exploitation. . Brittany Day
For years, hackers have focused on finding bugs in computer software that give them unauthorized access to computer systems, but now there's another way to break in: Hack the microprocessor. On Tuesday, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign demonstrated how they altered a computer chip to grant attackers back-door access to a computer. It would take a lot of work to make this attack succeed in the real world, but it would be virtually undetectable. It's actually kind of funny that they decided to mention that this system was "running the Linux operating system". Regardless of the OS, a hardware level exploit such as this poses such a bigger threat than just OS security. Although this type of exploit is much harder to deploy rather than software, this article poses interesting situations on how exactly it can be carried out.. The link for this article located at Network World is no longer available. . Analyzes potential vulnerabilities in microprocessor architecture that can be leveraged for clandestine entry and security risks in Linux environments.. Microprocessor Security, Backdoor Attack, Linux Threats. . 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
In 1998 cryptographer Paul Kocher developed a method for deducing the secret key embedded in a cryptographic smart card by monitoring tiny fluctuations in power consumption. Three years earlier, at the tender age of 22, he made headlines with a technique to compromise implementations of the RSA algorithm -. . .. In 1998 cryptographer Paul Kocher developed a method for deducing the secret key embedded in a cryptographic smart card by monitoring tiny fluctuations in power consumption. Three years earlier, at the tender age of 22, he made headlines with a technique to compromise implementations of the RSA algorithm - - not with a direct frontal assault, but by watching the amount of time a system took to perform certain functions. Speaking at the Usenix security conference in San Francisco Thursday, Kocher, now president of Cryptography Research, Inc., said creative attacks like these are only becoming more successful as hardware and software solutions grow increasingly complex and difficult to debug. "Nobody breaks the crypto, they all bypass the crypto," says Kocher. "They are putting bigger crypto keys in there and it doesn't give you bigger security." The link for this article located at SecurityFocus is no longer available. . In 1999, researcher Gene Tsudik emphasizes techniques to exploit vulnerabilities via innovative strategies on data protection mechanisms.. Creative Attacks, Cryptographic Security, Kocher Techniques. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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