The MOST Likely Cause of Bootloader Malware Infections on Windows Workstations with UEFI Capability
Question
Bootloader malware was recently discovered on several company workstations.
All the workstations run Windows and are current models with UEFI capability.
Which of the following UEFI settings is the MOST likely cause of the infections?
Answers
Explanations
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The most likely cause of the infections in this scenario is the UEFI setting of "Compatibility mode."
Compatibility mode allows UEFI to function as a legacy BIOS system and enables it to support older operating systems that do not support UEFI. While compatibility mode can be useful for certain situations, it also opens up security vulnerabilities.
Bootloader malware can take advantage of the compatibility mode setting by loading malicious code before the operating system and security measures can fully initialize. This can allow the malware to go undetected and persist even after traditional antivirus scans and malware removal tools have been employed.
Secure boot mode, on the other hand, is designed to prevent unauthorized bootloaders and malware from running by checking the digital signature of the bootloader against a trusted database of signatures. Native mode is simply UEFI running as intended without any compatibility or legacy features. Fast boot mode is a feature that speeds up the boot process by skipping some system checks, but it does not directly impact security.
In summary, the most likely cause of the infections in this scenario is the compatibility mode UEFI setting, which allowed the bootloader malware to bypass security measures and infect the workstations.
