BIOS firmware is the root of any computer, wherein one can hardly detect if it was already affected by malwares or viruses. That is when Google's Virus Total comes in, as it will serve a helping hand to identify the malware or virus affecting the firmware.
Recently, according to National Security Agency (NSA), there are many reported incidents of firmware getting affected by unknown malwares and viruses. Besides these reports, there are many examples of futile efforts of injecting malware into one's firmware. Usually, in the first step itself, BIOS firmware will be loaded into the memory, while the code of operating system will be on a memory chip attached to the main board. Thus, BIOS becomes the prime target of any virus attacks and it is quite impossible to identify the virus or malware affecting the firmware. Most astonishing thing is that they cannot be removed by merely a system reboot or reinstallation.
When the ordinary virus scans fail, Google's Virus Total can scan the BIOS to derive information about the code. Then it uses its unique detection system, which is built base on machine learning, to identify those malwares or viruses present on BIOS firmware.
With its most advanced technology, Google made the process highly user-friendly too. When users visit Virus Total page of Google, they will come across with an option to upload the image of firmware to be scanned. Then it can inform the user whether there is any malware in the firmware.
This new development has come as a relief at a time where many users are finding it difficult to protect their system in all aspects. Many experts in this field hail Google's Virus Total as a beginning towards the leap to provide a foolproof security for the computers, which is the need of the hour. They hope that this initiative will boost the morale of others involved in research and developmental activities, and will make them come out with more innovative ideas in the near future.