Phoenix Technologies Launches FirmGuard to Protect Against Firmware Vulnerabilities

[TheLostSwede]

Phoenix Technologies, a leading independent firmware supplier for PCs and computing devices, has launched FirmGuard, a cyber security product to address firmware vulnerability. Firmware is the software that connects a device's microchips to the operating system.

Phoenix Technologies is the first UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) vendor to offer an enterprise cyber security product. FirmGuard is a cloud-based service, which has been initially targeted at managed service providers (MSPs). It will also be offered to large enterprise and government organizations.




Gerard Moore, President and CEO of Phoenix Technologies, said:

"This is a key strategic development for us and significantly broadens our capabilities to a far wider range of customers. It is also our first Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product. We are uniquely positioned to offer FirmGuard given our expertise and decades of experience in firmware.

"We have seen a steady rise in reported firmware vulnerabilities over the past five years. According to Gartner, 70% of organizations that do not have a firmware upgrade plan in place will be breached due to firmware vulnerability.

"Given firmware's position in the tech stack, a successful firmware infiltration gives a malicious actor complete control of a device. FirmGuard will close the firmware vulnerability gap, perhaps before many organizations even realize they are exposed."

FirmGuard offers an array of features to measure, manage and mitigate vulnerabilities. The product analyzes or measures the state of each endpoint. With this information, an administrator can remotely manage each endpoint with a suite of features that can be used to, for example, configure and update UEFI firmware. If problems arise, they can be easily mitigated by cloning, locking, or cryptographically wiping an endpoint's data storage.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Selaya]

FirmGuard is a cloud-based service

OH NO

 

[LabRat 891]

It is also our first Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product

This explains a lot, actually. Clearly, company culture has been shifting over the years.
Phoenix used to have devtools publicly posted on their site and communicate directly w/ those in the tech community; started changing years ago. -I noticed this when researching BIOS-UEFI mods.

Not sure if 'better' or 'worse' than the conflagration of incompetence over at American Megatrands Inc.:
"Dude this should NOT be in a Dell Switch… or HPE Supercomputer"

AMI basically said: "it's fine. don't worry about it"

For extra laughs:

Trand is a town in Battagram District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, one of 20 union councils in the district. It is located at 34°37'60N 72°58'60E and has an altitude of 1,303 metres (4278 feet).It is on the western border of Battagram, extending from Landi Kass to Garhi Nawab Syed. Kala Dhaka (known locally as Tore Ghar) lies at its Eastern-West side. The majority of the population consists of the Peer Imami Sayyeds. The most influential political figure of the area was Jamal Khan, known as Khan of Trand,

Pakistan? Khyber? Copies of questionable quality? This seems familiar...

A Khyber Pass copy is an unlicensed firearm manufactured by cottage gunsmiths in the Khyber Pass region of Pakistan.

oh.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Fearware for a nonissue.

 

[darakian]

> FirmGuard is a cloud-based service

Nope

 

[mechtech]

How many mobo BIOS makers left?

Award?
AMI?
Phoenix
??

 

[TheLostSwede]

How many mobo BIOS makers left?

Award?
AMI?
Phoenix
??

AMI, Phoenix and Insyde, as well as Coreboot or TianoCore if you want to go open sauce. This if for UEFI though, SeaBIOS is another open sauce option, but not for UEFI, only BIOS.
Award was bought out by Phoenix 1998, but they kept using the Award name for some products.