Intel Security releases MacBook scanner for CIA Vault 7 rootkits

We’re just a few days removed from the WikiLeaks publication, Vault 7, that outlined many of the supposed hacking tools at the disposal of the CIA. It has left tech firms scrambling for fixes and has raised questions over what products and services are most at risk, especially as the dust and sensationalism settles around just what kind of powers the CIA wielded with these so-called cyber weapons.

Intel Security, in response, has released a new tool for making sure your MacBook isn’t vulnerable to one of the many exposed techniques. According to the tranche of documents, the CIA had developed an EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) rootkit for MacBooks. The rootkit, called DarkMatter, would replace the BIOS on a MacBook and run malicious code. Rootkits are pretty advanced pieces of malware, designed to avoid detection.

Inter Security, which will be rebranded under the McAfee name once again soon, published the scanner to help users identify if they are affected. The scanner is a module for CHIPSEC, Intel’s framework for analyzing PC security.