CERT UEFI Parser: Open-source tool exposes UEFI architecture to uncover vulnerabilities
CERT UEFI Parser, a new open-source security analysis tool from the CERT Coordination Center has been released to help researchers and defenders examine the structure of Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) software and identify classes of vulnerabilities that are often difficult to study.
UEFI software
The tool is published by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University and applies program analysis techniques to UEFI firmware code to extract architectural details that are typically buried deep in vendor-specific implementations.
UEFI software runs at a privileged layer during system boot and has long been a target for attackers seeking persistence and stealth. Security teams have struggled to analyze it due to size, complexity, and inconsistent documentation across vendors. The CERT UEFI Parser project aims to address that gap by turning opaque firmware code into a structured representation that can be examined and queried.
Turning firmware into analyzable data
According to the SEI, the tool works by parsing UEFI binaries and source code to recover information about modules, execution phases, protocols, and dependencies. The output is a machine-readable model of the firmware architecture that can be used for vulnerability research, code review, and automated analysis.
The parser relies on program analysis techniques that examine code paths and interfaces without requiring the firmware to run on hardware. That approach allows researchers to study UEFI components in isolation and at scale.
In a blog post announcing the release, researchers from the SEI said the tool is designed to help analysts move beyond searching for individual bugs. The architectural view produced by the parser can point to broader design patterns that increase risk, such as complex trust relationships or unexpected interactions between modules.
Designed for researchers and defenders
CERT UEFI Parser is intended for use by security researchers, firmware analysts, and defenders responsible for platform security. It can support multiple use cases, including vulnerability discovery, impact analysis, and comparative studies across firmware builds.
The tool is written to integrate with existing analysis workflows. Its output can be consumed by other tools or scripts, allowing teams to build custom checks or research pipelines on top of the parsed data.
The SEI noted that the parser does not attempt to exploit vulnerabilities or perform dynamic testing. Its role is to expose structure and relationships within UEFI software so that analysts can make informed decisions about where to focus deeper investigation.
CERT UEFI Parser is available for free on GitHub.
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