Coldplay lyrics found hidden in Kingston SSD Firmware

3 years ago 1

ARTICLE AD BOX

Security researcher Nicholas Starke made a surprising discovery in a firmware update for Kingston’s KC2000 M.2 NVMe SSD products, where he found lyrics from a Coldplay song.

According to BleepingComputer, the ZIP file — now removed from Kingston’s website — looked seemingly ordinary. However, the contained firmware (.bin) file includes lyrics to Coldplay’s The Scientist.

“I found Coldplay lyrics in SSD controller firmware,” Starke told BleepingComputer following his analysis of the firmware.

The Coldplay cameo was found in Kingston’s SKC2000_S2681103 firmware version. “SKC2000” firmware versions typically run Kingston’s PCI Express solid-state drives.

“I have absolutely no clue why it is in the firmware,” said Starke. “I’ve seen many many firmware images in my time and this just seemed out of place.”

He added that he had never seen anything “quite like it”.

Whether or not the hidden lyrics serve any functional purpose is unclear. BleepingComputer suggests it could be used as sample data for testing or that it could merely be an easter egg left by Kingston developers.

The firmware version in question was released in early 2020, and according to the release notes, it delivers “improved performance in some QD1 workloads”.

Coldplay’s The Scientist lyrics hidden within the firmware file are quoted below.

Come up to meet you, tell you I’m sorry
You don’t know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions
Oh, let’s go back to the start
Running in circles, coming up tails
Heads on a science apart
Nobody said it was easy
It’s such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh, take me back to the start
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling the puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
But tell me you love me, come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
Oh, it’s such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I’m going back to the start