Could this be the end of BIOS-locked laptops? AI tweaker deploys Claude to unlock and change settings for good

Date:
Fri, 07 Aug 2026 21:05:00 +0000

Description:
AI helps patch a signature check to always say "yes" on a specific HP laptop using a hardware flasher.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Redditor uses Claude Code to help reverse-engineer the firmware on an HP 15-dw1036ne, patching its signature check and exposing 55 hidden setup fields and four configuration tabs The laptop's RSA-2048 was not broken: the verification routine was patched to return success, a standard firmware-modding technique as per Community Notes The result is model- and version-specific, still requires physical access via a hardware flash programmer, and leaves the machine permanently more exposed to firmware implants in the future A Reddit user going by Reddit_2049 posted to r/ClaudeAI a claim that traveled fast: Claude Code had picked apart the firmware on their HP 15-dw1036ne and unlocked it, exposing 55 hidden setup fields and four previously invisible configuration tabs.

The move, though impressive, relies on a well-known BIOS modding approach: attacking the BIOS signature check so the BIOS always replies in the affirmative, effectively bypassing it altogether rather than throwing a potential firmware corruption error. While it does have security
implications, it also opens up a route to essentially 'rescue' locked or disabled laptops that would otherwise become e-waste. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here: Claude Code unlocked my laptop's bios! from r/ClaudeAI A solution to certain types of e-waste, enabled by AI What Claude Code did to "unlock" the Redditor's laptop is not a new technique. It
bypassed the firmware's integrity check (an RSA-2048 signature verification) by targeting not how the check was performed, but how its result was
reported.

The cryptography remains untouched, as Community Notes on two of the larger viral posts about the story pointed out. What the episode does highlight is that on machines without hardware-rooted boot protection, the verification routine itself sits in modifiable firmware, which is the same repair specialists and modders have relied on for years. You may like Claude Mythos turns years of security research into 20-hour AI exploits Anthropic reveals Claude AI model hacked three companies during tests so how worried should we be? The quiet comeback of boring computing: why ports, keyboards, and repairability matter again

Reddit_2049 ran the job through the standard firmware toolchain: Ghidra for disassembly, UEFITool for extracting firmware volumes, and Unicorn Engine to emulate the check outside the real machine. Claude Code assisted here rather than acting autonomously by stitching together the relevant parts for him.
The techniques involved are well documented; what was not documented was this particular machine, and that is the gap the model closed.

That opens an interesting front, one that could help with e-waste , even if not every owner is equipped to open a laptop safely or use a hardware flash programmer. An LLM that can read disassembly and hold a firmware layout in
its head compresses hours of specialist work, which means targets that were never worth anyone's time individually now might be. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Whether the approach travels is an interesting question, however. The author of the original post warns the script may not work even on superficially similar HP models, and anyone attempting it on different hardware would need
a flash programmer on hand and a tolerance for bricking the machine: modified firmware also brings its own problems, including occasional stability issues.

Right-to-repair rules in the EU and several US states have been circling this territory without directly addressing firmware. Until they do, the position stands roughly where it did last week, except that reverse-engineering a specific machine's firmware has become considerably cheaper for everybody.

That could let owners keep using older, locked laptops that would otherwise become e-waste, at a time when consumers are already burdened by higher costs due to inflation and an AI spending spree by data centers affecting laptops and desktops alike. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/could-this-be-the-end-of-bios-locked-laptops-ai- tweaker-deploys-claude-to-unlock-and-change-settings-for-good


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