VU#738147: Vendor-signed UEFI Shell applications allow Secure Boot bypass
Vendor-signed UEFI Shell applications can be exploited to bypass Secure Boot protections. The vulnerability lies in built-in memory modification commands within certain UEFI Shell implementations. If a system trusts the vendor's certificate or the application's hash, an attacker can use these commands to disable Secure Boot. This allows for the execution of untrusted UEFI code before the operating system loads. Such an attack would bypass standard security measures and EDR solutions. Researchers identified multiple affected UEFI Shell applications from various vendors. To mitigate this, system administrators must apply firmware and software updates from hardware vendors. These updates will replace the vulnerable applications with secure versions. Additionally, updating and verifying the UEFI DBX can revoke trust in the compromised binaries. This prevents them from executing during the boot process.