Ways to Prevent Hardware & Firmware Attacks on Windows

Hardware and firmware attacks are growing concerns. Today, computer systems’ core includes low-level code and physical components. These attacks can bypass traditional software-based security, making them highly dangerous for Windows users.

We will check on practical ways to prevent hardware and firmware attacks and how you can protect your system against these sophisticated threats.

What Are Hardware and Firmware Attacks?

Hardware and firmware attacks exploit vulnerabilities in a computer’s physical computer’s embedded software. Unlike traditional malware, these attacks can compromise a system at a fundamental level, often undetected by antivirus software. Once compromised, attackers can gain persistent access to your system, even surviving OS reinstallations.

Best Practices to Prevent Hardware & Firmware Attacks

There are effective methods to safeguard your Windows computer from hardware and firmware-based threats.

Keep Your Firmware Updated

Firmware updates often contain crucial security patches that fix vulnerabilities in hardware components. Outdated firmware can expose your system to risks, so keeping it up to date is essential for protection.

How to Update Firmware on Windows:

1. Identify your system’s hardware and visit their official website.
2. Download the latest firmware or BIOS updates.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to update your firmware safely.

Regularly updating your firmware protects your system from newly discovered security vulnerabilities.

Enable Secure Boot

Secure Boot is a security standard that ensures only trusted software is loaded during startup. It protects against boot-level malware and unauthorized modifications to the system’s boot process, which are systems standard in firmware attacks.

How to Enable Secure Boot on Windows:

1. Restart your PC and enter the BIOS/UEFI settings by pressing a key like F2, Del, or Esc.
2. Navigate to the Boot section and enable Secure Boot.
3. Save and exit the BIOS/UEFI.

Enabling Secure Boot helps prevent malicious firmware or hardware from tampering with your system during the boot process.

Use Trusted Platform Module (TPM)

The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) provides hardware-based security by storing cryptographic keys to secure sensitive data. TPM helps safeguard encryption keys, protecting your system from unauthorized access during firmware or hardware attacks.

How to Check TPM Status on Windows:

1. Press Windows + R and type tpm. msc, then press Enter.
2. Ensure that TPM is enabled and functional on your system.

TPM ensures that your data and system are protected against hardware-based exploits by adding a layer of encryption to your hardware.

Use Full Disk Encryption with BitLocker

Encrypting your entire hard drive helps protect your data from unauthorized access in the event of a hardware attack. BitLocker, a built-in encryption tool in Windows, protects you by securing your data even if your hardware is compromised.

How to Set Up BitLocker on Windows:

1. Open Control Panel > System and Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption.
2. Select the drive you wish to encrypt and click Turn on BitLocker.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to enable encryption.

With BitLocker, your data remains protected, even if attackers gain access to your hardware.

Enable Firmware Integrity Checking

Firmware integrity checking ensures that malicious actors haven’t tampered with the firmware. Tools like Windows Defender System Guard monitor and verify firmware integrity during startup, preventing unauthorized code from running.

How to Enable System Guard:

1. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security > Device Security.
2. Under Core Isolation, memory integrity is enabled to protect against low-level attacks.

By enabling firmware integrity checks, you can reduce the risk of malware compromising your system’s firmware.

Monitor and Manage Device Drivers

Outdated or compromised device drivers can serve as entry points for hardware-based attacks. Regularly updating and managing your device drivers can prevent vulnerabilities from being exploited.

How to Update Device Drivers on Windows:

1. Open Device Manager by pressing Windows + X and selecting Device Manager.
2. Locate the device whose driver you want to update, right-click, and select Update Driver.
3. Choose Search automatically for updated driver software.

Keeping your drivers updated ensures your hardware is secure against firmware-based attacks.

Disable Unused Hardware Ports

Unused hardware ports, such as USB or network adapters, can be exploited in hardware attacks. Disabling these ports when not in use can prevent malicious actors from accessing your system.

How to Disable Ports on Windows:

1. Open Device Manager.
2. Locate the unused port or device, right-click, and select Disable.
3. Confirm the action.

Turning off unused ports reduces the surface area for potential hardware-based attacks.

Use Fortect for Real-Time Protection

It’s crucial to have real-time malware and virus protection to provide additional protection against hardware and firmware threats. Fortect, a third-party PC solution, offers comprehensive protection for Windows systems. It automatically scans for threats, fixes any vulnerabilities, and optimizes your system’s performance, ensuring your hardware and firmware remain secure.

Fortect also comes with a built-in driver updater to scan outdated and corrupt drivers corrupted drivers and update them from a secure location, such as the device driver mentioned above.

Download and install Fortect now.