Researchers discover first UEFI bootkit malware for Linux
The first UEFI bootkit specifically targeting Linux systems has been discovered, marking a shift in stealthy and hard-to-remove bootkit threats that previously focused on Windows.
Named 'Bootkitty,' the Linux malware is a proof-of-concept that works only on some Ubuntu versions and configurations rather than a fully fledged threat deployed in actual attacks.
Bootkits are malware designed to infect a computer's boot process, loading before the operating system and allowing it to gain control over a system at a very low level.
The advantage of this practice is that bootkits can evade security tools running at the operating system level and modify system components or inject malicious code without risking detection.
ESET researchers who discovered Bootkitty warn that its existence is a significant evolution in the UEFI bootkit threats space despite the current real-world implications.
Upon analysis, ESET confirmed that this was the first case of a Linux UEFI bootkit to bypass kernel signature verification and preload malicious components during the system boot process.
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