BIOS updates could be tricky sometimes. Most of the time, BIOS updates address flaws and bugs. But there are times that these updates are dangerous or even may brick your valuable Mainboard. But this is not the most usual case scenario. Unfortunately, could happen even to the best OEMs. This seems to be the case with MSI‘s latest BIOS update.
MSI’s 7C02v3C BIOS update set Image Execution Policy to “Always Execute” which, as a result, disables Secure Boot. David Potocki, a Security Researcher, noted it and tried to contact MSI. But as he claimed, MSI didn’t respond back, at least yet. The affected Motherboards for both Intel and AMD, according to Potocki, are:
Intel
- Every Z790 motherboard
- MEG Z590 UNIFY-X
- Every B760 motherboard
- MAG B660M MORTAR MAX WIFI DDR4
- PRO B660M-A CEC WIFI DDR4 V2
- PRO H610M 12VO
- PRO H610M VDHP DDR4
- PRO H610M-E DDR4
- PRO H410M-B
AMD
- Every B650(E) motherboard
- Every X670(E) motherboard
- MEG X570S ACE MAX
- MEG X570S UNIFY-X MAX
- MPG X570S CARBON MAX WIFI
- MPG X570S CARBON EK X
- B550 GAMING GEN3
- MAG B550 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI
- PRO B550M-P GEN3
- PRO B550-P GEN3
- PRO B550-VC
If you want to know more about Secure Boot and how it could protect you, please visit this link. It is a useful Security feature and my advice is that you should activate it, if supported.
For now, the best advice is, not to update to the latest BIOS and get sure that Image Execution Policy is not set to “Always Execute”. Hopefully, MSI would address this issue, as soon as possible. Until then, just be patient and read our other articles, as well.
