The HP Wolf Security study reveals critical faults often minimized by companies. Firmware, BIOS, Material: The pirates use each stage of the life cycle of devices. Decryption.
It is often believed that cybersecurity is above all a question of solid passwords and up -to -date antivirus. However, a new generation of cyber attacks directly targets the hearts of devices: firmware, bios and material components. Unlike conventional viruses, these attacks are invisible to traditional tools and can persist even after a complete reinstallation of the system.
The HP Wolf Security Lifecycle report reveals that these threats are very real and often underestimated. 31 % of companies have discovered flaws from their suppliers, 55 % postpone firmware updates and 24 % of employees have lost or have been stolen from a professional device. From design to second life, each phase of the life cycle of a device contains flaws used by hackers.
In this article, discover the main vulnerabilities identified by the HP Wolf Security report, the new threats that amplify these risks and the advanced safety solutions offered to protect companies at each stage.
Critical faults of the life cycle of IT devices
Before you even lit it for the first time, your computer may have already been exposed to cybersecurity risks. The choice of suppliers is a critical step that many companies neglect. Thus, 27 % of companies had to cancel a contract with a supplier after discovering security flaws. This means that potentially vulnerable equipment can enter into a company’s systems without anyone noticing. Some attackers do not hesitate to infiltrate the production chain to discreetly modify components. In 2018, Bloomberg revealed that spy chips had been detected on servers delivered to American companies, stressing the risk of compromise even before the installation of the devices.
During installation, another frequent flaw appears: the bios passwords left unchanged. Two striking figures from the HP report show that 52 % of companies never change them and 47 % use identifiers shared between several positions, which allows attackers to access critical settings of machines.
Then comes the problem of updated updates. 55 % of companies admit that they do not update their firmware for fear of dysfunction. This delay creates an exploitable flaw, as during the Blacklotus attack in 2023, where a malware exploited a Windows vulnerability corrected several months earlier, but still present on unrehaged devices.
Finally, there is the question of lost or stolen devices. A situation where a laptop is forgotten on a train or stolen in a cafe can become a real nightmare if its data falls into bad hands. However, 24 % of telework employees have already lost a professional computer. Without locking and remote erasure solution, these devices become an entry door for cybercriminals. In 2019, an American bank had to notify more than 100,000 customers after theft of a computer containing sensitive information.
More sophisticated, invisible and difficult to counter threats
Cyberattacks are evolving and now exploiting more sophisticated techniques, amplified by artificial intelligence. According to the HP Wolf Security Lifecycle report, the development of AI allows cybercriminals to create malware capable of adapting in real time to the protections put in place.
Firmware attacks are also increasing. Unlike conventional viruses that attack files and software, these attacks directly target components that manage the operation of the device. This means that even a complete resettlement of the system will not be able to eliminate them. Once in place, these attacks allow hackers to control a device without the user realizing it. In 2023, the Cosmastrand attack, for example, used UEFI malware to spy on machines in China and Iran, without any means of deletion via conventional tools.
These threats have direct consequences for businesses. A firmware intrusion allows hackers to maintain undetectable long -term access, facilitating industrial espionage, data theft and sabotage. A successful attack can cost millions of euros in recovery, loss of data and involved in the reputation of an organization.
HP Wolf Security: proactive cybersecurity beyond conventional solutions
Threats are evolving so quickly that traditional cybersecurity solutions are struggling to follow. An antivirus detects attacks once they are already underway and the firewalls block certain intrusions, but these approaches are no longer enough. The pirates now target the hearts of the devices, exploiting material faults and firmware often invisible to conventional solutions.
HP Wolf Security adopts a different approach: to protect the devices at each stage of their life cycle and prevent attacks before they cause damage. Rather than simply detecting threats, HP technologies allow them to be anticipated and neutralize them as soon as they appear. The insulation of threats is based on HP Sure Click Enterprise, which opens each file or suspicious link in a completely isolated virtual micro-machine. Unlike conventional antiviruses that analyze after execution, this technology prevents any system infection, even in the event of a user error.
Firmware protection is provided by HP Sure Start, which automatically detects and restores the BIOS in the event of a suspicious modification. A firmware attack can make a device unusable with a classic solution, but with HP Sure Start, the device is repaired on its own and restarts without damage.
Another common problem of traditional solutions is the excessive volume of alerts and false positives. HP Wolf Security reduces this noise by filtering threats and automatically blocking attacks before they reach the system, thus avoiding unnecessary interruptions.
HP Wolf Protect and Trace offers an effective solution to find, lock or erase a stolen or lost device remotely. Where conventional systems require long and complex procedures, this technology allows you to act quickly to avoid any data leak. Rather than being content with software protection, HP Wolf Security integrates security directly into the equipment, thus offering a more robust and proactive defense in the face of new threats.
Today, cyber attacks are no longer content to tackle software. They go further, by directly targeting the material, where conventional protections cannot always act. The HP Wolf Security LifeCycle report shows how much firmware and material components are often defenseless, when they have become privileged targets for hackers. HP adopts a different approach by anticipating these threats and blocking them before they can do damage. At a time when cybercriminals compete in ingenuity to bypass safety barriers, protect its devices at each stage, from their manufacture at their end of life or their recycling, is no longer a simple precaution: it is an absolute necessity.
