21 December 2007 @ 8:15When Is a Brick Not a Brick?

When Computerworld says it’s a “brick”.

Computerworld is reporting that an exploit has been found that affects HP and Compaq computers and results in the computer being “bricked”. According to the article, “the Software Update bugs let an attacker corrupt Windows’ kernel files, making the laptop unbootable, or with a little more effort, allow hacks that would result in a PC hijack or malware infection.” The exploit was uncovered by a Polish security researcher who used the alias “porkythepig”.

When I hear the word “bricked”, I imagine a scenario where software has rendered the hardware completely unusable and unable to be restored to a usable state. This can sometimes happen when a firmware update fails ungracefully. However, the exploit that Computerworld is referencing can be fixed with a re-install.

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