You are viewing this page in an unauthorized frame window. This is a potential security issue, you are being redirected to https://csrc.nist.gov . An official website of the United States government Here’s how you know Here’s how you know Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock Locked padlock icon ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Search Search CSRC MENU Search Search Projects Publications Expand or Collapse Drafts for Public Comment All Public Drafts Final Pubs FIPS (standards) Special Publications (SP s ) IR (interagency/internal reports) CSWP (cybersecurity white papers) ITL Bulletins Project Descriptions Journal Articles Conference Papers Books Topics Expand or Collapse Security & Privacy Applications Technologies Sectors Laws & Regulations Activities & Products News & Updates Events Glossary About CSRC Expand or Collapse Computer Security Division Cryptographic Technology Software Security Group Hardware Security Group Security Engineering and Risk Management Applied Cybersecurity Division Cybersecurity and Privacy Applications National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Contact Us Information Technology Laboratory Computer Security Resource Center Publications NIST SP 800-147 BIOS Protection Guidelines Share to Facebook Share to X Share to LinkedIn Share ia Email Documentation Topics Date Published: April 2011 Author(s) David Cooper (NIST) , W. Polk (NIST) , Andrew Regenscheid (NIST) , Murugiah Souppaya (NIST) Abstract This document provides guidelines for preventing the unauthorized modification of Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware on PC client systems. Unauthorized modification of BIOS firmware by malicious software constitutes a significant threat because of the BIOS’s unique and privileged position within the PC architecture. A malicious BIOS modification could be part of a sophisticated, targeted attack on an organization —either a permanent denial of service (if the BIOS is corrupted) or a persistent malware presence (if the BIOS is implanted with malware). As used in this publication, the term BIOS refers to conventional BIOS, Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) BIOS, and Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) BIOS. This document applies to system BIOS firmware (e.g., conventional BIOS or UEFI BIOS) stored in the system flash memory of computer systems, including portions that may be formatted as Option ROMs. However, it does not apply to Option ROMs, UEFI drivers, and firmware stored elsewhere in a computer system. While this document focuses on current and future x86 and x64 client platforms, the controls and procedures are independent of any particular system design. Likewise, although the guide is oriented toward enterprise-class platforms, the necessary technologies are expected to migrate to consumer-grade systems over time. Future efforts may look at boot firmware security for enterprise server platforms. This document provides guidelines for preventing the unauthorized modification of Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware on PC client systems. Unauthorized modification of BIOS firmware by malicious software constitutes a significant threat because of the BIOS’s unique and privileged position... See full abstract This document provides guidelines for preventing the unauthorized modification of Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware on PC client systems. Unauthorized modification of BIOS firmware by malicious software constitutes a significant threat because of the BIOS’s unique and privileged position within the PC architecture. A malicious BIOS modification could be part of a sophisticated, targeted attack on an organization —either a permanent denial of service (if the BIOS is corrupted) or a persistent malware presence (if the BIOS is implanted with malware). As used in this publication, the term BIOS refers to conventional BIOS, Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) BIOS, and Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) BIOS. This document applies to system BIOS firmware (e.g., conventional BIOS or UEFI BIOS) stored in the system flash memory of computer systems, including portions that may be formatted as Option ROMs. However, it does not apply to Option ROMs, UEFI drivers, and firmware stored elsewhere in a computer system. While this document focuses on current and future x86 and x64 client platforms, the controls and procedures are independent of any particular system design. Likewise, although the guide is oriented toward enterprise-class platforms, the necessary technologies are expected to migrate to consumer-grade systems over time. Future efforts may look at boot firmware security for enterprise server platforms. Hide full abstract Keywords firmware ; security ; firmware updates ; basic input/output system ; BIOS firmware ; BIOS ; system BIOS Control Families Access Control ; System and Services Acquisition ; System and Information Integrity Documentation Publication: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-147 Download URL Supplemental Material: Press Release Publication Parts: SP 800-147B Document History: 04/29/11: SP 800-147 (Final) Topics Security and Privacy authentication , digital signatures , maintenance , patch management , roots of trust , threats Technologies BIOS Laws and Regulations Federal Information Security Modernization Act , OMB Circular A-130 HEADQUARTERS 100 Bureau Drive Gaithersburg, MD 20899 X (link is external) facebook (link is external) linkedin (link is external) instagram (link is external) youtube (link is external) rss govdelivery (link is external) Want updates about CSRC and our publications? Subscribe Contact Us | Our Other Offices Send inquiries to [email protected] Site Privacy Accessibility Privacy Program Copyrights Vulnerability Disclosure No Fear Act Policy FOIA Environmental Policy Scientific Integrity Information Quality Standards Commerce.gov Science.gov USA.gov Vote.gov