Hidden in Plain Sight - Persistent Alternative Mass Storage Data Streams as a Means for Data Hiding With the Help of UEFI NVRAM and Implications for IT Forensics

Abstract

This article presents a first study on the possibility of hiding data using the UEFI NVRAM of today's computer systems as a storage channel. Embedding and extraction of executable data as well as media data are discussed and demonstrated as a proof of concept. This is successfully evaluated using 10 different systems. This paper further explores the implications of data hiding within UEFI NVRAM for computer forensic investigations and provides forensics measures to address this new challenge.