Unpatchable Windows Flaw? Will Surprises Reside in Smart Software from Microsoft?

March 7, 2023

No big deal? A flaw described as “Unpatchable”? Not to worry. Okay, I will pretend not to worry, but I am worrying. Many commercial and government systems may be at risk. “Stealthy UEFI Malware Bypassing Secure Boot Enabled by Unpatchable Windows Flaw” reports:

Researchers on Wednesday [presumably March 1, 2023] announced a major cybersecurity find—the world’s first-known instance of real-world malware that can hijack a computer’s boot process even when Secure Boot and other advanced protections are enabled and running on fully updated versions of Windows.

Microsoft’s good enough engineering has produced technology which in “unpatchable.” Shouldn’t that effort be directed toward creating software which is patchable? I know. I know. People are in a hurry. There are those TikToks to watch. Plus, who wants to fool around with secure boot issues when the future is smart software.

As the Microsofties chase after the elusive “it understands human utterance” bunny rabbit, what gotchas will be tucked inside ChatGPT-inspired applications? I am not very good at predicting the future. I am not dumb enough to say, “Hey, that Microsoft smart software will be okay.” Microsoft is good at marketing. May I suggest that Microsoft is not so good at producing software that meets users’ expectations for security.

Stephen E Arnold, March 7, 2023

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Microsoft, News, Security

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.