Achilles Heel: The Vulnerability of Embedded Firmware

Embedded firmware “is the flash memory chip that stores specialized software running in a chip in an embedded device to control its functions.”1 It’s everywhere – in computers, large and small electronic devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, medical devices, phones, tablets, cars and a host of other places. The vast majority resides in vulnerable connected devices.
Why is Embedded Firmware So Vulnerable?
Most rmware was never designed with security as a top-level requirement. For example, when developers and engineers design an internet-connected remote control, they focus on the device’s primary functions: Changing channels . . .