Arch Linux

MoonSwan

Member

From: Great White North

Registered: 2008-01-23

Posts: 881

[solved] My BIOS/computer has been compromised?

I just booted from Windows 7 to linux and I got a "Enter Current Password" screen.  I've never set a BIOS password in my life!  This is really worrying because I just re-installed Arch yesterday and when I booted Windows a day or two ago that screen was not in-place.  Should I assume both OSes have been compromised?  The obvious answer is "yes" but I've never heard of a virus capable of meddling with such a low-level part of a computer.  Am I incorrect in making that assumption?

Edit:  Scanning with AVG in Windows and it did find some sort of malware in a /tmp file folder.  I'm re-scanning with more stringent criteria of what to scan.

Edit:  Apologies if this subject line sounds like I'm freaking out...because I was sort of.  I've never dealt with a credible threat, such as a virus, before today.  I've seen cookies and tracking crap before but not this.

Last edited by MoonSwan (2014-07-25 19:09:03)

karol

Archivist

Registered: 2009-05-06

Posts: 25,440

Re: [solved] My BIOS/computer has been compromised?

Maybe it's some kind of Windows protection going awry? The joys of dual-booting? Hardware issue?

MoonSwan

Member

From: Great White North

Registered: 2008-01-23

Posts: 881

Re: [solved] My BIOS/computer has been compromised?

Maybe it's some kind of Windows protection going awry? The joys of dual-booting? Hardware issue?

Good gods I hope that it is!  As I said I found 1 bit of malware and now I'm wondering if I should change all of my really important passwords.  Bleh, rainy thunderstorming Friday here, surely a great way to spend the day.

xero

Member

From: ~/

Registered: 2014-04-02

Posts: 86

Website

Re: [solved] My BIOS/computer has been compromised?

...wondering if I should change all of my really important passwords...

it's never a bad idea to update your passwords. just make sure you do it in a secure manner, and that it's a secure password.

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alphaniner

Member

From: Ancapistan

Registered: 2010-07-12

Posts: 2,810

Re: [solved] My BIOS/computer has been compromised?

Do you have to select a different boot disk to boot to Linux? That's the only way I can imagine it being a BIOS password prompt. Unless this is a UEFI mobo, which I can't comment on.

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But whether the Constitution really be one thing, or another, this much is certain - that it has either authorized such a government as we have had, or has been powerless to prevent it. In either case, it is unfit to exist.
-Lysander Spooner

MoonSwan

Member

From: Great White North

Registered: 2008-01-23

Posts: 881

Re: [solved] My BIOS/computer has been compromised?

I keep Windows and Arch on separate SSDs just because I use GPT partitioning (which Windows doesn't deal well with on BIOS systems).  I did find a Trojan horse masquerading as an Internet Explorer "setup.exe" file.  As I never use IE and have never installed that little booby trap I think I'll chalk this up to an experience, change my critical passwords and move on. 

Thank you for the answers/support.