Hardware-Level Security Solution for Industrial Computer BIOS Reinforcement: Disabling USB Interfaces and Boot Items
Security Concerns in Industrial Scenarios and the Necessity of BIOS Reinforcement
In critical industrial scenarios such as smart manufacturing, energy management, and rail transit, industrial computer serve as the core control units, with their security directly determining the continuity of production lines, the safety of equipment, and the integrity of data collection. However, traditional industrial computer generally face two major security threats: the physical access risk of USB interfaces and firmware-level attacks on illegal boot items. For instance, a certain automobile manufacturing plant experienced tampering with welding robot programs due to malicious access via USB interfaces, resulting in economic losses in the millions; another energy enterprise suffered a system breakdown of all its factory equipment and over ten million in downtime losses due to malicious code implanted in the BIOS.
Such incidents have exposed the limitations of traditional security solutions: operating system-level protection cannot withstand firmware-level attacks, while physical isolation measures lack flexibility. Therefore, implementing hardware-level security reinforcement from the BIOS layer has become the "last line of defense" for industrial computer security protection. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of how to disable USB interfaces and control boot items through BIOS reinforcement technology, and combine practical cases of the industrial computer USR-EG628 to offer enterprises actionable security solutions.
USB interfaces, with their plug-and-play and high-speed transmission characteristics, have become important channels for data interaction in industrial settings. However, their openness also makes them a "breach" for attackers:
Malicious Device Access: Attackers can use devices preloaded with malware, such as USB drives or keyloggers, to implant viruses or steal data through USB interfaces.
Data Leakage Risk: Employees mistakenly inserting personal USB drives may lead to the leakage of sensitive data or ransomware encryption for extortion.
Firmware-Level Attacks: By flashing the BIOS firmware through USB interfaces, attackers can tamper with the system boot logic to achieve persistent control.
Software-Layer Control: Relying on the operating system or third-party software to disable USB interfaces cannot withstand firmware-level attacks and is easily bypassed.
Physical Blocking: Physically sealing USB interfaces with glue or port covers, although thorough, lacks flexibility and affects equipment maintenance.
Permission Management: Only restricting user read and write permissions for USB devices cannot prevent malicious device access.
Pain Point Summary: Enterprises require a solution that completely disables USB interfaces from the hardware layer to ensure that even if the operating system is compromised, attackers cannot launch further attacks through USB interfaces.
BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is the core firmware loaded when a computer starts up, responsible for hardware initialization and boot management. Disabling USB interfaces through BIOS can achieve hardware-level isolation, with the following core steps:
Enter the BIOS Setup Interface: Restart the computer and press a specific key (such as Del, F2, or F10) to enter the BIOS menu.
Locate USB Configuration Options: In the "Advanced," "Integrated Peripherals," or "USB Configuration" menus, find settings related to USB (such as "USB Ports" or "Front USB Ports").
Disable USB Functionality: Set the relevant options to "Disabled," save the settings, and restart.
Technical Advantages:
Thoroughness: Once disabled, USB interfaces remain unusable even if the operating system is compromised.
Persistence: BIOS settings are independent of the operating system and remain effective after system reinstallation or hard drive replacement.
Flexibility: Specific USB ports (such as only the front interfaces) can be selectively disabled, balancing security and convenience.
A certain smart factory used industrial computers to control production line equipment and experienced multiple data leakage incidents due to frequent access by employees' personal devices via USB interfaces. Through a BIOS reinforcement solution, the factory achieved the following improvements:
Globally Disable USB Storage Devices: Disable all USB storage class devices (such as USB drives and external hard drives) in the BIOS, allowing only necessary peripherals like keyboards and mice.
Whitelist Mechanism: Authorize specific USB devices (such as encrypted USB drives) by serial number, automatically blocking unauthorized devices upon insertion.
Audit Logs: Record all USB device access and removal actions, including device information, operation time, and user accounts, providing evidence for post-incident accountability.
Implementation Effects: Data leakage incidents decreased by 90%, production line downtime reduced by 80%, and annual security operation and maintenance costs saved over one million yuan.
Boot items are programs or firmware loaded when a computer starts up, and their security directly affects the overall system security. Attackers can achieve the following attacks by tampering with boot items:
Malware Preloading: Plant malicious code in the BIOS or boot partition to execute before the operating system loads, bypassing security software detection.
Firmware-Level Rootkit: Achieve persistent residence by modifying BIOS or UEFI firmware, which cannot be cleared even by system reinstallation.
Boot Hijacking: Tamper with the boot sequence to guide to a malicious operating system or ransomware, resulting in data loss or device breakdown.
Controlling boot items through BIOS reinforcement technology can build a protection system from the following layers:
Boot Sequence Locking: Set a unique boot device (such as the internal hard drive) in the BIOS and prohibit booting from external devices like USB drives or optical drives.
Secure Boot: Enable UEFI Secure Boot functionality to allow only legally signed boot images (such as operating system boot loaders) to run, preventing unauthorized code execution.
Boot Item Whitelist: Through BIOS settings or third-party tools, allow only specific boot items (such as official operating system images) to load and automatically block others.
Firmware Signature Verification: Digitally sign BIOS firmware and verify signature legitimacy during updates to prevent malicious firmware flashing.
A certain energy enterprise used industrial computers to control substation equipment and experienced multiple devices being implanted with ransomware due to tampered boot items, resulting in a factory-wide power outage and losses exceeding ten million yuan. Through a BIOS boot item reinforcement solution, the enterprise achieved the following improvements:
Boot Sequence Locking: Disable all external boot devices in the BIOS and allow only internal hard drive booting.
Secure Boot Enablement: Enable UEFI Secure Boot to allow only signed Windows or Linux boot loaders to run.
Firmware Update Verification: Verify the signature of BIOS update packages through a hardware security module (TPM) to prevent malicious firmware flashing.
Implementation Effects: Ransomware attack incidents dropped to zero, device availability increased to 99.9%, and annual security operation and maintenance costs saved over five million yuan.
In the field of industrial computers, USR-EG628, with its high performance, high security, and high flexibility, has become an ideal carrier for BIOS reinforcement technology. The core features of this product are as follows:
Hardware-Level Security Design:
Supports BIOS disabling of USB interfaces and can selectively disable specific ports (such as front USB).
Integrates a TPM 2.0 security chip to support firmware signature verification and Secure Boot.
Features three-level surge protection and three-level electrostatic protection, ensuring stable operation in harsh environments such as lightning strikes and interference.
High-Performance Computing Capability:
Equipped with a 4-core 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 processor with a main frequency of 2.0GHz, supporting edge AI computing (1.0TOPS NPU).
Built-in 4GB memory + 32GB storage, running Linux Ubuntu system, and supporting secondary development environments such as Docker and Node-red.
Flexible Expansion and Communication Capability:
Modular design, supporting various IO expansions such as digital, analog, serial, and Ethernet ports.
Integrates 4G/5G/Wi-Fi/Ethernet communication modules, supporting primary and backup network switching and VPN encrypted transmission.
Application Scenarios:
Smart Manufacturing: Control production line equipment, prevent data leakage by disabling USB interfaces via BIOS, and prevent firmware attacks by enabling Secure Boot.
Energy Management: Monitor substation equipment, prevent ransomware infections by locking boot items, and support remote firmware updates and signature verification.
Rail Transit: Control signaling systems and meet industrial security standards such as IEC 62443 through hardware-level security design.
The security protection of industrial computers is a systematic project that requires constructing a multi-layer protection system from the hardware layer (BIOS), operating system, network communication, to the application layer. Among them, BIOS reinforcement technology, as the lowest-level defense line, can effectively block physical access risks and firmware-level attacks by disabling USB interfaces and controlling boot items, providing "immune-level" protection for enterprise core assets.
USR-EG628 industrial computer, as a practical carrier for BIOS reinforcement technology, with its high performance, high security, and high flexibility, can meet the stringent demands of scenarios such as smart manufacturing, energy management, and rail transit. Submit an inquiry now to obtain a customized BIOS reinforcement solution and make your industrial computers as stable as a rock in complex electromagnetic environments!
