Cybersecurity Unveiled: AMD Vulnerability, ISP Attack, ENISA Insights Emerge

• AMD’s “EntrySign” flaw lets attackers with admin access load unsigned microcode on Zen processors.
• A mass campaign hit internet service provider infrastructure in the U.S. and China.
• ENISA’s NIS360 report rates how prepared Europe’s critical sectors are.
• Here is what each story means for defenders.

AMD’s microcode signature flaw

Google researchers disclosed a flaw in AMD processors, tracked as CVE-2024-56161 and nicknamed “EntrySign.” AMD’s Zen processors check a signature before loading microcode updates, but the check used CMAC, an algorithm that isn’t a secure hash. That let the researchers forge a signature and load their own microcode. An attacker would need local administrator access first.

AMD has released fixes that use a secure hash and update the processor’s Secure Processor firmware. Enterprises running affected AMD chips, particularly in cloud and virtualization environments where microcode integrity matters, should apply BIOS and firmware updates from their vendors.

A campaign against ISPs

Splunk researchers reported a large campaign aimed at internet service provider infrastructure in the U.S. and China. The way in was simple. The attackers brute-forced weak credentials.

Once inside, they installed information stealers and cryptocurrency miners. The lesson for ISPs is basic: strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication on management systems would have blocked the entry point.

ENISA’s NIS360 assessment

The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) published NIS360 2024, which rates the security maturity and criticality of sectors covered by the NIS2 directive. Electricity, telecoms and banking scored best. ICT service management, space, public administration, maritime, health and gas were flagged as needing attention.

The report is meant to help national authorities and EU policymakers decide where to focus support and supervision, and for companies in the weaker sectors it is an early hint of where inspections, guidance and pressure to invest will land over the next few years as NIS2 rules take hold.

What ties the three together

The three stories hit different layers: processor firmware, network operators and whole economic sectors. All three come down to basics, such as verified updates, strong credentials and steady investment in weaker sectors.

For businesses and governments, that means keeping firmware patched, locking down remote management, and paying attention to where their own sector sits in assessments like NIS360.

Takeaways for defenders

Patch AMD systems through vendor BIOS updates. Audit network logins.

For European organizations in the lower-scoring sectors, ENISA’s findings are a signal that regulators will be watching. Security policy is also a geopolitical issue now, and these assessments shape where money and attention go.

Frank Jones, CISSP

Frank Jones has loved computers from the age of 13. Frank got his hacking career started when he downloaded a war dialing program that he used to detect dial up modems in his hometown of Chicago. Frank Jones now works as a JAVA coder and cyber security researcher.