ESET researchers have uncovered a prototype UEFI bootkit targeting Ubuntu Linux, marking an expansion of bootkit attacks beyond Windows.

By infecting the firmware that runs immediately before the operating system loads, these UEFI bootkits continue to run even when the hard drive is replaced or reformatted. Now the same type of chip-dwelling malware has been found in the wild for backdooring Linux machines.

The first UEFI bootkit specifically targeting Linux systems has been discovered, marking a shift in stealthy and hard-to-remove bootkit threats that previously focused on Windows.

ESET's discovery of the first UEFI bootkit designed for Linux sendss an important message: UEFI bootkits are no longer confined to Windows systems alone.

This appears to be the first UEFI bootkit that goes beyond Windows and targets Linux machines, according to ESET security researchers.

Cybersecurity researchers have shed light on what has been described as the first Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) bootkit designed for Linux systems. "The bootkit's main goal is to disable the kernel's signature verification feature and to preload two as yet unknown ELF binaries via the Linux init process (which is the first process executed by the Linux kernel during system startup),

Bootkitty doesn’t bite… yet Security researchers say they've stumbled upon the first-ever UEFI bootkit targeting Linux, illustrating a key moment in the evolution of such tools.… Dubbed "Bootkitty" by Slovak security shop ESET,