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How do I manually check for BIOS security updates from my motherboard manufacturer? (programming.dev)

submitted 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by Flagstaff@programming.dev to c/linux@programming.dev

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I read somewhere on Reddit that people who use Linux should periodically, manually check for security updates to their computers' BIOS from their motherboard manufacturers, because Linux apparently ends automatic updates once you leave Windows. I have no idea of where to look on the ASUS website for my Zenbook 14, or if that's even the right place. Could anyone give any guidance on this matter? Is this a thing that we should indeed be doing semiannually or something?

And what else should I be doing on a schedule (even if annually), while I'm at it? Haha.

Edit: thanks, everyone!

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[–] OwOarchist@pawb.social 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

First of all, don't. Generally, if the BIOS is working fine, you don't fuck with it. Attempting to update the BIOS can sometimes brick a motherboard if it goes wrong, so it's a risk you only want to take if you actually need to.

Checking is relatively easy:

Boot into your BIOS and look for a version number. If it's not already present in the corner somewhere, it will likely be in some 'help' or 'about' menu. Make a note of what the version number is.
Go to your motherboard manufacturer's website, find your model, go to their 'downloads' page, find the BIOS download and check the version on it. If the version number is higher than the one from Step 1, there's an update available.

And if you think that update is worth the trouble and risk of installing, follow your motherboard manual's instructions for installing the update.

[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 days ago

Check the update change notes and fixes. If it is CVE patch stuff you want to update

[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 days ago

I was so scared to update the BIOS, because in previous PC when I tried it, it went wrong and I had to replace the entire motherboard. Now with my current computer, I didn't update the BIOS. But I have random crashes in a specific game, which the motherboard "could" be responsible for (I'm not going into details here). The firmware is from 2022, almost 4 years old! But I just did the update from current BIOS version released this month. I think this will improve stability and security. So everyone should theoretically do it, but make sure you do it right.

What's cool on my ASUS board is, I could update from USB stick while PC is turned off. I just had to make sure file was named correctly, and just hold the button for 3 seconds and wait. After rebooting the system I had to accept recovering the previous bios settings, on the prompt at boot, save the settings and reboot normally. Confirmed the new bios version with inxi -M.