Someone hacked into Asus computer systems slipped backdoor malware into one of the agency’s laptop updates. As a result, the backdoor could allow hackers to freely get the right of entry to your laptop whenever and without your knowledge. You don’t have to be a computer safety specialist to recognize the significance of that. Here is what you need to know approximately the so-called “Shadow Hammer” assault and how to test if your device has been affected.
Asus and the Shadow Hammer Malware Attack
On the upside, your pc is probably not at the chance. Shadow Hammer simplest impacts Asus laptops and no longer many at that. Researchers at Kaspersky Lab expected that around a half of 1,000,000 laptops acquired the contaminated update as an orchestrated assault going for walks from “June 2018 to November 2018 undetected until now,” in line with Miriam Cihodariu of Heimdal Security. With the news of the virus being announced on March twentieth, Asus and Kaspersky had already begun operating on methods to deal with the virus because Kaspersky alerted Asus to its lifestyles on January 31st, 2019.
Kaspersky analyzed over 2 hundred samples of the inflamed replace to decide the nature of the virus and whom it could affect. The hackers hard-coded a listing of 600 MAC addresses. Every tool that could hook up with a network through cable or wi-fi will have a Media Access Control (MAC) cope with, and they’re all specific. Having tough-coded a small list of MAC addresses indicates that the assault had predefined goals.
Check if Your System is Affected
So, as far as having your pc left open to these hackers, it’s noticeably not likely that you’re part of the unfortunate six hundred. If you’re nonetheless worried, you may download ASUS’ Shadow Hammer diagnostic device and test your own pc. If you need a 2nd opinion, download Kaspersky’s Shadow Hammer detection tool. Both types of equipment will examine the MAC addresses to your pc to the listing of 600 MACs extracted by Kaspersky.
Asus has already restored vicinity inside the state-of-the-art version of its Live Update software program (ver. 3.6.Eight). If you’ve got an Asus computer that obtained the terrible replacement, you’ve probably already acquired Asus’ repair. But if you’re now not positive, you can download the safe version of Live Update from Asus. This version will close the backdoor — if you even have it.
Be aware that this changed into a concerted assault that infiltrated the fifth-biggest computer maker globally, and they controlled to contaminate a reputable update. A corporation of this size and nature needs to have protection on par with the finest countries globally. This is an early warning sign of the level of assaults that independent and state-sponsored hackers are capable of making.
