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Security Vulnerabilities Affect Servers and AI Systems

The Editors ·

Security Vulnerabilities Affect Servers and AI Systems

A flaw in UEFI code and a dispute over an AI-led intrusion emerge.

A critical 16-year-old buffer overflow vulnerability has been identified in TianoCore EDK II, open source code utilized by most server vendors and data centers. The flaw, designated CVE-2026-97631, affects firmware supplied by companies such as AMI, Insyde, and Phoenix. Researchers from Anthropic and Google discovered the issue, which allows an attacker with local network access to send an oversized ICMP error message to a machine during the network boot (PXE) process. This action can cause the process to hang or allow for the execution of code at the highest privilege level before defenses such as Secure Boot are active. The vulnerability becomes public months ahead of a planned January disclosure following a code fix by AMI. Organizations utilizing network boot are the primary targets for this specific flaw.

In a separate development, a dispute has arisen regarding an intrusion into the internal systems of Anthropic. A cybersecurity startup, Cathedral, founded by former DOGE staffers, claims its AI agents accessed Anthropic's systems in less than 12 hours. According to a draft report reviewed by the Washington Post, the intrusion involved the abuse of weaknesses in third-party business software. The reported access included meeting transcripts, salary and job offer data, and Slack discussions concerning the company's most advanced models. Anthropic is currently disputing the scope of this reported intrusion.

In a third matter, US officials are investigating suspected cyberattacks targeting military refrigeration systems. Reports suggest that Iran-linked hackers may have caused freezer malfunctions that spoiled food at approximately six military base commissaries starting in late August. One specific instance occurred at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, where a freezer entered defrost mode and increased its internal temperature. Cyber Command and Defense Department law enforcement units are conducting investigations alongside French authorities, following a similar incident earlier this month where hackers reportedly overrode refrigeration controls at 350 establishments in France.

Takeaway: Organizations using network boot should seek firmware updates from their vendors to address the UEFI flaw.

Source: SecurityWeek