This section is critical. Using an is a double-edged sword.
American Megatrends International (AMI) is the leading provider of core system software (BIOS/UEFI) globally. Their firmware framework is used by the vast majority of motherboard manufacturers. When a manufacturer implements Intel BIOS Guard, they utilize AMI’s packaging tools to compile the update.
To update Microcodes, change OEM logos, or update Option ROMs in a BIOS that is locked by PFAT.
wmic bios get version, manufacturer
Once you have downloaded the BIOSUtilities repository from GitHub, locate the AMI_PFAT_Extract.py script (or the main wrapper). You have two primary ways to use it:
: Security researchers use it to analyze firmware for vulnerabilities (like the SMM vulnerability found in some Lenovo products) or to check for Intel Boot Guard settings. Technical Availability
A specific data structure prepended to the firmware payload containing security flags, version information, and cryptographic signatures. ami bios guard extractor
The extractor works by scanning the binary blob of the firmware dump. It identifies signatures unique to AMI’s Boot Guard implementation. Once located, it parses the headers to determine the size and offset of the protected data. The tool then extracts these segments, allowing the researcher to analyze the Key Manifest or the policy configuration.
Prevents malware from writing to the SPI flash chip where the BIOS resides.
afuwinx64 /ver
The AMI BIOS Guard Extractor is a versatile tool that can be used in various scenarios:
A forum user demonstrated the process on a Chinese hardware forum (PIGOO). They opened a BIOS file with WinHex, confirmed the presence of “AMI PFAT BIOS Guard” at the beginning of the file, then ran the extractor. After selecting the BIOS file (by dragging it onto the script), the tool produced the separated components in the same directory.
: The tool is compatible with all AMI PFAT versions and formats, including those using Index Information tables . This section is critical
: Some manufacturers (like Dell) append custom Out-of-Bounds ( OOB ) data after the PFAT structure. The extractor identifies this as a separate _OOB.bin file for further analysis. 3. Usage and Availability
The most helpful feature of this tool is its ability to into usable components. Key capabilities include: