Millions of gamers use software programs and drivers from a variety of hardware manufacturers. And, if you thought that these programs could never pose a threat to your computer, we’re sad to say you’re wrong. Everything connected to the internet is subject to cyberattacks.
HP Omen Gaming Hub is one such piece of software known to be vulnerable to a severe security risk. So why is there a threat to users? And how can you mitigate it?
High Severity Flaw in HP Omen Gaming Hub
HP Omen Gaming Hub is a software suite for HP laptops and desktops which allows you to manage your games, optimize them, tweak connected HP peripherals, and interact with your friends. You can also overclock and optimize your hardware performance.
The software relied on a driver version that could give an attacker kernel-mode access without requiring administrator privileges.
So, if attackers had tried to exploit this vulnerability, they could have hijacked millions of HP computers.
Yes, as per the report by SentinelLabs, this level of access can give attackers the ability to disable security suites, overwrite system components, corrupt the Operating System (OS), and perform various malicious activities without your knowledge.
Fortunately, it is believed that attackers have not exploit this vulnerability in the wild. And so, no HP devices were affected.
HP was prompt to respond to this issue highlighted by a security researcher and issued a patch for it on September 14, 2021.
The following packages are vulnerable to this security issue:
- HP Omen Gaming Hub older than version 11.6.3.0
- HP Omen Gaming SDK older than version 1.0.44
For additional assurance, you should immediately check for any newer updates and always keep updating software regularly.
Gaming Software: No Exception to Security Issues
Chiefly when it comes to gaming software and tools, it is possible to overlook the updates that ensure you do not encounter any bugs. But you need to update the software as soon as possible.
It does not matter whether you utilize OEM software or third-party software to manage your gaming experiences and hardware; it is always a good idea to keep them up-to-date.