Earlier this month, Dell issued a patch for a wide range of its computer models going back to 2009, which aims to fix a longstanding cyber security vulnerability in its systems. The vulnerability could’ve potentially given cyber attackers an opportunity to take full control of one of these computers.
The flaw was identified by SentinelLabs, who started in their research that “Hundreds Of Millions Of Dell Computers [Were] At Risk Due to Multiple BIOS Driver Privilege Escalation Flaws”. The issue affected Dell computers from 2009 onwards and covered devices that have been shipped throughout the world.
According to the digital security company, the issue that left Dell computers open to cyber-attacks is located in a driver used by their devices’ firmware update utilities. This created a window in which a cybercriminal could’ve gained access to the user’s Windows system.
The vulnerability affected over 380 Dell system models, including nearly 200 that no longer receive updates, the full list of which you can View Here. But some notable devices included:
XPS 13 and 15 models
G3, G5, and G7 gaming laptops
What has been the reaction to this Cyber Security threat?
Thankfully, Dell has responded swiftly and have offered a cyber security patch to fix the problem. Their update will cover both newer computer models and devices that are up to 12 years old.
This means that the update will provide peace of mind to users of the new and most popular Dell systems, as well as any of those working with much older devices. Indeed, the level of cyber security support here is promising to see, given the Cut-Off Point For Device Security Updates Is Usually Less Than This.
Significantly, there has also been no evidence that the cyber security vulnerability was ever exploited by hackers in the past 12 years. Thus, Dell customers don’t have much to fear once they install the update. The patch can be installed from Dell on any affected systems and comes with installation instructions for greater clarity.
You can find more of the latest Cyber Security News Here.
