Researchers from Anthropic and Google found a memory-corruption vulnerability (CVE-2026-97631) in an ICMP component of TianoCore EDK II, the open-source codebase underlying UEFI firmware used by nearly all major hardware vendors including AMI, Insyde and Phoenix. The flaw allows code execution before the OS or protections like Secure Boot load, though the payloads it delivers aren't persistent on their own. A coordinated disclosure planned for January was disrupted after AMI published a pull request with details and a fix, prompting TianoCore to issue a public advisory early.
it.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-27
Researchers Alex Matrosov and Dan Holmes discovered a memory-corruption flaw, rated 9.5 out of 10 in severity, in an ICMP component of TianoCore EDK II, the open-source reference code underlying UEFI firmware used by most hardware vendors including AMI, Insyde, and Phoenix. The flaw allows code execution before the operating system or protections like Secure Boot can engage, and although the initial exploit payload doesn't persist, it could be used to install other malware that runs at every boot. A planned coordinated disclosure for January was disrupted after AMI published a pull request detailing the bug and fix last month, prompting TianoCore to issue a public advisory early.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-27
A hobbyist researcher used an AI coding agent to reverse-engineer Brother's firmware update process for the MFC-L8900CDW printer, bypassing the vendor's standard downloader tool to pull a raw firmware binary. The work revealed that the printer's NC-8700w Command Console exposes more functionality than its limited official CLI suggests, opening a path toward deeper system access over Telnet.
inventor7777.github.io
· 2026-10-26
Microsoft shipped a firmware update on October 22 for the Surface Laptop Ultra that addresses screen flickering, random restarts, and slow reboot times, along with unspecified additional bug fixes and performance improvements. Microsoft says users may need to manually restart their device to complete installation, and the update cannot be uninstalled once applied.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-26
M-Vave released FM1 Open on October 17, a software package, SDK and browser-based workbench that lets owners of its $59.72 FM-1 synthesizer build custom firmware for the device. The release follows months of community reverse-engineering on Reddit's r/synthdiy, which began in July and produced custom firmware by September. The application layer is published under GPLv3 with a browser emulator for testing, though the underlying synth engine remains a closed binary.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-26
A hobbyist researcher says they obtained a root shell on a 2025 Samsung TV after noticing unusually targeted advertisements. Unable to decrypt the AES-protected firmware without hardware-level UART/JTAG access, they say they instead used previously undisclosed vulnerabilities to gain root access, and claim the process revealed concerning privacy practices on the device.
twitter.com
· 2026-10-24
Hundreds of supermarkets across the EU suffered losses running into millions of euros after refrigeration and climate-control systems failed. The failures were traced to outdated operational technology (OT) firmware that third-party contractors had been managing but failed to keep updated.
darkreading.com
· 2026-10-22
A South Korean developer known as Gezine posted a video on X showing access to the PS5's restricted debug menu, claiming to have broken through security protections in firmware version 14.10. That firmware had been released by Sony specifically to patch the earlier 'Relapse' exploit, which allowed decrypting and running PS5 games on jailbroken consoles. Gezine noted that the old method of dumping game data no longer works, suggesting a different hypervisor-based exploit would be needed to fully jailbreak an updated console.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-21
A developer known as Gezine posted a video showing access to the PS5's hidden Debug Settings menus, which normally require kernel-level access, on firmware version 14.10.00. That firmware update, released in October, reportedly closed an earlier jailbreak method and is said to be required to run Grand Theft Auto VI. Gezine has not published the exploit method and indicated they may first seek disclosure through a bug bounty program.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-20
A tech guide explains how users can determine whether their router still receives firmware updates or has reached end-of-life (EOL) status, after which security vulnerabilities go unpatched. It recommends checking the router's model and hardware revision number against manufacturer websites, noting that companies like ASUS maintain searchable EOL product lists. The guide also suggests reviewing the date of the last firmware update and contacting the manufacturer directly if the support status is unclear.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-20
Some Google Home Speaker owners report their devices continuously downloading massive amounts of data in the background, with one user seeing over 200GB consumed in a single day. The issue, flagged by 9to5Google and Reddit users, appears linked to a failed firmware update and mostly affects the newer Home Speaker model. Google has confirmed the bug and says a fix is already rolling out.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-20
A hobbyist's 1994 IBM ThinkPad 750C, built around a 33MHz 486SL processor, now fails to boot normally and throws an I9990303 error that also blocks entry into BIOS setup. The machine can still boot DOS or Windows 3.1 from special maintenance floppies and access its hard disk, but configuration tools like the PS2 utility fail. IBM's documentation links the code to a faulty system board or corrupted flash ROM, and attempts to re-flash the BIOS fail with a power-management error before even checking battery status.
os2museum.com
· 2026-10-20
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