Firmware Corruption
- ID
- T1495
- Tactics
- TA0040 Impact
- Platforms
- Linux, macOS, Network Devices, Windows
- Data sources
- Process Creation, Driver Load, Firmware Modification, Network Traffic Content
- Source
- attack.mitre.org
- MITRE last modified
- 12 May 2026
Adversaries may overwrite or corrupt the flash memory contents of system BIOS or other firmware in devices attached to a system in order to render them inoperable or unable to boot, thus denying the availability to use the devices and/or the system.[1] Firmware is software that is loaded and executed from non-volatile memory on hardware devices in order to initialize and manage device functionality. These devices may include the motherboard, hard drive, or video cards.
In general, adversaries may manipulate, overwrite, or corrupt firmware in order to deny the use of the system or devices. For example, corruption of firmware responsible for loading the operating system for network devices may render the network devices inoperable.[2][3] Depending on the device, this attack may also result in Data Destruction.
Detection
- DET0167 Firmware Modification via Flash Tool or Corrupted Firmware Upload
Data components: Process Creation, Driver Load, Firmware Modification, Network Traffic Content
Mitigations (3)
- M1026 Privileged Account Management
Prevent adversary access to privileged accounts or access necessary to replace system firmware.
- M1046 Boot Integrity
Check the integrity of the existing BIOS and device firmware to determine if it is vulnerable to modification.
- M1051 Update Software
Patch the BIOS and other firmware as necessary to prevent successful use of known vulnerabilities.