Thunderspy
 A logo created for the vulnerability, featuring an image of a spy | |
| CVE identifier(s) | CVE-2020-???? |
|---|---|
| Date discovered | May 2020 |
| Discoverer | Björn Ruytenberg |
| Affected hardware | Computers manufactured before 2019, and some after that, having the Intel Thunderbolt port.[1] |
| Website | thunderspy |
Thunderspy is a type of security vulnerability, based on the Intel Thunderbolt port, first reported publicly on 10 May 2020, that can result in an evil maid (ie, attacker of an unattended device) attack gaining full access to a computer's information in about five minutes, and may affect millions of Apple, Linux and Windows computers, as well as any computers manufactured before 2019, and some after that.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] According to Björn Ruytenberg. the discoverer of the vulnerability, "All the evil maid needs to do is unscrew the backplate, attach a device momentarily, reprogram the firmware, reattach the backplate, and the evil maid gets full access to the laptop. All of this can be done in under five minutes."[1]
History
The Thunderspy security vulnerabilities were first publicly reported by Björn Ruytenberg of Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands on 10 May 2020.[8]
Impact
The security vulnerability may affect millions of Apple, Linux and Windows computers, as well as any computers manufactured before 2019, and some after that.[1][3][4]
Mitigation
Researchers claim there is no easy software solution, and may only be mitigated by disabling the Thunderbolt port altogether.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Greenberg, Andy (10 May 2020). "Thunderbolt Flaws Expose Millions of PCs to Hands-On Hacking - The so-called Thunderspy attack takes less than five minutes to pull off with physical access to a device, and it affects any PC manufactured before 2019". Wired. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Porter, Jon (11 May 2020). "Thunderbolt flaw allows access to a PC's data in minutes - Affects all Thunderbolt-enabled PCs manufactured before 2019, and some after that". The Verge. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ a b Doffman, Zak (11 May 2020). "Intel Confirms Critical New Security Problem For Windows Users". Forbes. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ a b Ruytenberg, Björn (2020). "Thunderspy: When Lightning Strikes Thrice: Breaking Thunderbolt 3 Security". Thunderspy.io. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Kovacs, Eduard (11 May 2020). "Thunderspy: More Thunderbolt Flaws Expose Millions of Computers to Attacks". SecurityWeek.com. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ O'Donnell, Lindsey (11 May 2020). "Millions of Thunderbolt-Equipped Devices Open to 'ThunderSpy' Attack". ThreatPost.com. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Wyciślik-Wilson, Mark (11 May 2020). "Thunderspy vulnerability in Thunderbolt 3 allows hackers to steal files from Windows and Linux machines". BetaNews.com. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
- ^ Ruytenberg, Björn (17 April 2020). "Breaking Thunderbolt Protocol Security: Vulnerability Report. 2020" (PDF). Thunderspy.io. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
