New Thunderbolt Flaw Could Leave Door Open For Hackers

During the 2019 NDSS security conference, a Thunderbolt flaw called Thunderclap was revealed. The revelation highlighted a potentially huge problem for major operating systems such as Windows, Mac, Linux, and FreeBSD. The newly announced vulnerability could be exploited by hacker, distorting how Thunderbolt-based devices connect with a targeted system. That’s why businesses must be careful enough and have their IT Consultant ready to provide ample information regarding how to secure data against these kinds of hardware flaws.

Thunderbolt is a type of hardware interface that was a product of a joint project set forth by Apple and Intel. Some devices like keyboards, chargers, and more use the Thunderbolt interface to connect to computers. Originally, Thunderbolt was only to be used on Apple devices. However, with the release of newer iterations, Thunderbolt became available for use on different operating systems. Hiring an IT Consultant Columbia would give you the advantage your business needs to avoid problems from these sorts of vulnerabilities.

To sum it all up, Thunderclap is basically a convergence of different security flaws in the interface. Upon closer inspection, the main flaw comes from the way operating systems’ actions when introduced with new hardware. Operating systems normally trust a new hardware whenever it is installed so it is ready for use. However, hackers could take advantage of this through bypassing the IOMMU or Input-Output Memory Management Unit set in place by the operating systems.

Action to remedy this problem has been quite slow. Thunderclap was discovered in late 2016 but OS developers weren’t as keen on providing a fix. At the moment, the problem is still around. It is only a matter of time before some major hacking incidents happen through the exploitation of these flaws. It’s also one reason why businesses should always protect their data with IT services to improve their overall information security.

Is your company in need of a complete technology solution provider? Call SpartanTec, Inc. Today.

 

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