Network security experts find Macbook battery firmware vulnerable to cracking

The fact is that these batteries are quite “smart”, since each such battery has its own chip with system software, which allows the battery to quickly interact with the rest of the system. All this is done in order to reliably control energy consumption and manage power consumption. However, the “intelligence” of Mac batteries makes them vulnerable to intruders.

Earlier, Apple released patches to correct the performance of improperly functioning batteries. Analyzing these hotfixes, network security specialists were able to understand the principles of operation of the battery system software, and got access to the firmware of the batteries.
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What can be done bad if you are an attacker and you have access to the battery system software? You can, for example, turn the battery into a "brick". Or, for example, you can change the system software so that the battery level will obviously be displayed incorrectly. Well, if you are a really malicious cybercriminal, then you can embed malicious code into the battery system software that will execute your own instructions, and no antivirus software will help. It is clear that in this case the full reinstallation of the OS will not help either.

The only good news in this case is that the hacker will not be able to physically harm the battery, for example, make it overheat. However, this is a weak consolation - it has already happened many times that attackers have injected malicious code into the firmware of motherboards, various controllers and other devices. And yes, the rechargeable battery in the Macbook is integrated into the system, so it will not work out to change it cheaply. You can not go to the store, and buy there crafts of the Chinese master, if your battery began to work against you.

Via dvice