AMD quietly disabled RAM encryption on some Ryzen CPUs and users want to know why
AMD's latest firmware update sparks a security feature controversy
Sony releases new PlayStation 3 update nearly 20 years after launch
Sony's update keeps Blu-ray playback working and likely targets jailbroken consoles
AMD moves closer to open-source firmware with openSIL test, set to replace AGESA
Zen 6 firmware concepts see early testing on the MSI B850-P Pro
Windows Secure Boot certificates are expiring after more than 15 years
Windows 11 and supported Windows 10 PCs will get updates automatically
Riot is forcing Valorant players to update their PC firmware to keep playing
Ready to risk breaking your PC hardware just to frag some strangers online?
Supermicro servers hit by critical vulnerabilities that allow undetectable malware attacks
Supermicro is already testing a fix
Windows 11 cleared of all charges for killing SSDs, the real culprit is faulty firmware
Chinese PC enthusiasts discovered the root cause
Dell patches critical "ReVault" vulnerabilities affecting millions of business PCs
A collection of five hardware-based vulnerabilities
Firmware flaws in over 200 Gigabyte motherboards could lead to undetectable malware
Nearly half of the affected motherboards are no longer supported
HP unveils PCFax, a CarFax-style tool to extend laptop life and reduce e-waste
PCFax will log laptop health data to support recycling and reuse
Critical flaw in AMI's MegaRAC firmware puts thousands of servers at risk
The bug is already being exploited by unknown state-sponsored hackers
Brother printer hack puts thousands of users at risk of remote takeover
Hackers can regenerate default administrator passwords after learning a device's serial number
Intel issues new microcode to fix rare Vmin Shift crashes on Core 13th- and 14th-gen CPUs
The Vmin Shift saga continues
Corsair's new firmware update tool works from the browser, doesn't require any additional software
No one seems to like the iCUE software, not even the company that made it
Samsung SSD Magician utility gets a makeover, improves ease of use
Samsung's SSD Magician software keeps SSDs, memory cards, and USB drives performing at their best, while offering features for data migration, security, compatibility, and optimization. Get firmware updates and then some.
Researchers uncover hidden 'backdoor' in widely used ESP32 microchip
Over a billion devices worldwide contain this chip
Sony releases surprise PS3 system update 19 years after launch
PlayStation 3 system software update 4.92 improves overall performance and updates the Blu-ray player encryption key, making it essential for users who rely on the console as a Blu-ray player.
Brother printers are quietly sabotaging third-party toner with firmware updates
Following on HP's footsteps by crippling non-OEM toners sparks backlash
Intel's latest microcode update fails to fix Arrow Lake performance issues
The troubled Core CPUs are now even worse in gaming than they were before
MSI introduces "latency killer" to improve DDR5 RAM performance
Is a 10ns latency reduction in ultra-fast DDR5 DRAM chips worth the effort?
Firmware vs. Software: What's the Difference?
Firmware is essential to the operation of electronic devices, acting as the foundational software that makes it all work. While firmware is sometimes used interchangeably with "software," they are not the same thing.
Intel might offer a tool to diagnose dying Raptor Lake processors
Users must still RMA their CPUs to confirm whether they suffer from the infamous microcode error
First firmware updates designed to fix Intel's Vmin Shift instability spotted in the wild
Major motherboard manufacturers are providing firmware "beta" updates
Remember AMI BIOS? Turns out there's a buried treasure in firmware
You might also remember them from their "American Megatrends" BIOS days
The big picture: Firmware is one of those obscure areas of computing that is simultaneously critical yet largely ignored. Not coincidentally, we have been doing a lot of work lately digging around such dark corners of the industry. Despite the ubiquitous nature of firmware, almost no one talks about it much.
