Linux … in the BIOS

Phoenix Technologies is putting Linux not just on the desktop, but in the BIOS (basic input-output system). Most people only sporadically access the BIOS (to change the boot sequence, for eg), and many people have undoubtedly never heard of it. Having a quick-boot version of Linux (called HyperSpace) at users’ fingertips would be a big paradigm shift.

From an economic/market standpoint, this is exciting.

But from a security standpoint, I’m concerned. I loathe the idea of the BIOS becoming a major attack vector for malware. I’d love to get details on what steps are i place to protect the BIOS from the sort of infection that would require the BIOS to be flashed to correct.



This entry was posted on Monday, May 18th, 2009 at 8:11 pm and is filed under Security, Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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