Yes, it is entirely possible to remotely control the device or steal sensitive information by modifying the firmware of the electronic device, especially if the device has security vulnerabilities or insufficient protective measures. The following is a detailed analysis： --- ### **1. Attack principle** -**Definition of firmware**: Firmware is the underlying software embedded in hardware devices, which is responsible for controlling the basic operations of the device (such as startup, communication, data processing, etc.). For example, routers, cameras, smart home devices, printers, and even certain peripherals (such as USB controllers) rely on firmware to run. -**Attack method**: An attacker can tamper with the firmware in the following ways： -**Exploit**: Use vulnerabilities in the firmware itself (such as buffer overflow, authentication bypass) to obtain write permissions. -**Supply chain attack**: Malicious code is implanted in the equipment production or firmware development phase. -**Insecure update mechanism**: Intercept or forge firmware update packages (OTA updates) and implant backdoor. -**Physical contact**: Directly swipe in the malicious firmware through the physical interface (such as USB, JTAG), and then activate it remotely through the network. --- ### **2. Actual case** -**Mirai botnet**: By infecting the firmware of IOT devices (such as cameras and routers) and turning them into “zombie nodes”, it is used to launch large-scale DDoS attacks. -**BadUSB**: Execute malicious instructions by modifying the firmware of a USB device, pretending to be a keyboard or storage device. -**Router backdoor**: Some cheap router firmware has hard-coded passwords or unsigned update vulnerabilities, which can be remotely controlled to steal user traffic. -**UEFAI/BIOS attack**: Malicious firmware can stay in the motherboard chip for a long time and cannot be removed even if the system is reinstalled (such as LoJax attack). --- ### **3. Consequences of attack** -**Remote control**: Hijack device functions (such as camera candid shots, microphone eavesdropping, forced restart, etc.). -**Data theft**: Monitor network traffic, steal sensitive data such as passwords and bank card information. -**Persistent attack**: Malicious firmware can be hidden in the device, bypassing security detection at the operating system level. -**Botnet**: Incorporate equipment into a botnet for mining, proxy forwarding, or launching network attacks. --- ### **4. Defensive measures** -**Secure Boot (Secure Boot)**: Only firmware that has been digitally signed by the manufacturer is allowed to run. -**Firmware signature verification**: Ensure the integrity and credibility of the firmware update package. -**Network isolation**: Isolate critical devices (such as IoT devices) from the core network and restrict their external communication. -**Regular updates**: Patch firmware vulnerabilities in a timely manner and turn off unnecessary remote management functions. -**Hardware protection**: Use a memory chip with write protection (such as a read-only partition). --- ### **5. conclusion** Although there are risks, the possibility of such attacks can be significantly reduced through sound security design (such as firmware signing, hardware isolation) and user security awareness (such as regular updates, disable default passwords). Enterprises and individual users need to pay attention to firmware security and incorporate it into the overall network security strategy. For highly sensitive scenarios, it is recommended to choose security-certified equipment and conduct regular firmware security audits.