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Intel used custom compression and multiple instruction sets (ARC/ARCompact/SPARC V8/ARM) for their backdoor to make reverse engineering extremely difficult.

The Trouble With Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine

To break the Management Engine, though, this code will have to be reverse engineered, and figuring out the custom compression scheme that's used in the firmware remains an unsolved problem.

But unsolved doesn't mean that people aren't working on it. There are efforts to break the ME's Huffman algorithm. Of course, deciphering the code we have would lead to another road block: there is still the code on the inaccessible on-chip ROM. Nothing short of industrial espionage or decapping the chip and looking at the silicon will allow anyone to read the ROM code. While researchers do have some idea what this code does by inferring the functions, there is no way to read and audit it. So the ME remains a black box for now.

There are many researchers trying to unlock the secrets of Intel's Management Engine, and for good reason: it's a microcontroller that has direct access to everything in a computer. Every computer with an Intel chip made in the last few years has one, and if you're looking for the perfect vector for an attack, you won't find anything better than the ME. It is the scariest thing in your computer, and this fear is compounded by our ignorance: no one knows what the ME can actually do. And without being able to audit the code running on the ME, no one knows exactly what will happen when it is broken open.

The first person to find an exploit for Intel's Management Engine will become one of the greatest security researchers of the decade. Until that happens, we're all left in the dark, wondering what that exploit will be.

The answer is in the bold part:

The Trouble With Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine

Finding an exploit for the Intel ME will be difficult, though. While most of the firmware for the ME also resides in the Flash chip used by the BIOS, the firmware isnâ(TM)t readily readable; some common functions are in an on-chip ROM and cannot be found by simply dumping the data from the Flash chip.

This means that if youâ(TM)re trying to figure out the ME, a lot of the code is seemingly missing. Adding to the problem, a lot of the code itself is compressed with either LZMA or Huffman encoding. There are multiple versions of the Intel ME, as well, all using completely different instruction sets: ARC, ARCompact, and SPARC V8. In short, itâ(TM)s a reverse-engineerâ(TM)s worst nightmare.

Your Intel CPU is backdoored and it is wide open, right now.

The backdoor is on all modern intel CPU/Chipset and is marketed as vPro/AMT/Small Business Advantage/Anti-Theft Technology, it is in all Core i3/i5/i7/Xeon CPU/Chipset in the past 6 years.

*3 Billion devices run JAVA* because everyone's Intel backdoor is running it.

REcon 2014 - Intel Management Engine Secrets

CCC Intel CPU backdoor live hack demonstration, keystrokes logged and sent over wire, wireshark can't detect packet because the Intel backdoor runs above the OS:
Towards (reasonably) trustworthy x86 laptops
Untrusting the CPU (33c3)
30C3 To Protect And Infect - The militarization of the Internet
Jacob Appelbaum - To Protect and Infect Part 2 - At 30c3 on Mass Surveillance Tools & Software

More links in this discussion:
The Intel ME subsystem can take over your machine, can't be audited

Tools to remove Intel backdoor firmware (You need to physically clip onto a 8pins chip on motherboards to download/neutralize/flash the rom, nothing else can touch it), the backdoor is designed to shutdown your machine within 30 minutes after boot, if you just remove the backdoor and don't handle checksums correctly:
https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner.

Neutralize your Intel backdoor:

Neutralize ME firmware on SandyBridge and IvyBridge platforms

First introduced in Intelâ(TM)s 965 Express Chipset Family, the Intel Management Engine (ME) is a separate computing environment physically located in the (G)MCH chip (for Core 2 family CPUs which is separate from the northbridge), or PCH chip replacing ICH(for Core i3/i5/i7 which is integrated with northbridge).

The ME consists of an individual processor core, code and data caches, a timer, and a secure internal bus to which additional devices are connected, including a cryptography engine, internal ROM and RAM, memory controllers, and a direct memory access (DMA) engine to access the host operating systemâ(TM)s memory as well as to reserve a region of protected external memory to supplement the MEâ(TM)s limited internal RAM. The ME also has network access with its own MAC address through the Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller integrated in the southbridge (ICH or PCH).

The Intel Management Engine with its proprietary firmware has complete access to and control over the PC: it can power on or shut down the PC, read all open files, examine all running applications, track all keys pressed and mouse movements, and even capture or display images on the screen. And it has a network interface that is demonstrably insecure, which can allow an attacker on the network to inject rootkits that completely compromise the PC and can report to the attacker all activities performed on the PC. It is a threat to freedom, security, and privacy that canâ(TM)t be ignored.

https://hackaday.com/tag/intel-management-engine/

Five or so years ago, Intel rolled out something horrible. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine (ME) is a completely separate computing environment running on Intel chipsets that has access to everything. The ME has network access, access to the host operating system, memory, and cryptography engine. The ME can be used remotely even if the PC is powered off. If that sounds scary, it gets even worse: no one knows what the ME is doing, and we canâ

NSA/CIA/GCHQ Shills kept down voting this:

Your Intel CPU is backdoored and it is wide open, right now.

The backdoor is on all modern intel CPU/Chipset and is marketed as vPro/AMT/Small Business Advantage/Anti-Theft Technology, it is in all Core i3/i5/i7/Xeon CPU/Chipset in the past 6 years.

Remember *3 Billion devices run JAVA* because everyone's Intel CPU backdoor is running it.

REcon 2014 - Intel Management Engine Secrets

CCC Intel CPU backdoor live hack demonstration, keystrokes logged and sent over wire, wireshark can't detect packet because the Intel backdoor runs above the OS:
Towards (reasonably) trustworthy x86 laptops
Untrusting the CPU (33c3)
30C3 To Protect And Infect - The militarization of the Internet
Jacob Appelbaum - To Protect and Infect Part 2 - At 30c3 on Mass Surveillance Tools & Software

More links in this discussion:
The Intel ME subsystem can take over your machine, can't be audited

Tools to remove Intel backdoor firmware (You need to physically clip onto a 8pins chip on motherboards to download/neutralize/flash the rom, nothing else can touch it), the backdoor is designed to shutdown your machine within 30 minutes after boot, if you just remove the backdoor and don't handle checksums correctly:
https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner.

Neutralize your Intel backdoor:

Neutralize ME firmware on SandyBridge and IvyBridge platforms

First introduced in Intelâ(TM)s 965 Express Chipset Family, the Intel Management Engine (ME) is a separate computing environment physically located in the (G)MCH chip (for Core 2 family CPUs which is separate from the northbridge), or PCH chip replacing ICH(for Core i3/i5/i7 which is integrated with northbridge).

The ME consists of an individual processor core, code and data caches, a timer, and a secure internal bus to which additional devices are connected, including a cryptography engine, internal ROM and RAM, memory controllers, and a direct memory access (DMA) engine to access the host operating systemâ(TM)s memory as well as to reserve a region of protected external memory to supplement the MEâ(TM)s limited internal RAM. The ME also has network access with its own MAC address through the Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller integrated in the southbridge (ICH or PCH).

The Intel Management Engine with its proprietary firmware has complete access to and control over the PC: it can power on or shut down the PC, read all open files, examine all running applications, track all keys pressed and mouse movements, and even capture or display images on the screen. And it has a network interface that is demonstrably insecure, which can allow an attacker on the network to inject rootkits that completely compromise the PC and can report to the attacker all activities performed on the PC. It is a threat to freedom, security, and privacy that canâ(TM)t be ignored.

https://hackaday.com/tag/intel-management-engine/

Five or so years ago, Intel rolled out something horrible. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine (ME) is a completely separate computing environment running on Intel chipsets that has access to everything. The ME has network access, access to the host operating system, memory, and cryptography engine. The ME can be used remotely even if the PC is powered off. If that sounds scary, it gets e

NSA/CIA/GCHQ Shills kept down voting this:

Your Intel CPU is backdoored and it is wide open, right now.

The backdoor is on all modern intel CPU/Chipset and is marketed as vPro/AMT/Small Business Advantage/Anti-Theft Technology, it is in all Core i3/i5/i7/Xeon CPU/Chipset in the past 6 years.

Remember *3 Billion devices run JAVA* because everyone's Intel CPU backdoor is running it.

REcon 2014 - Intel Management Engine Secrets

CCC Intel CPU backdoor live hack demonstration, keystrokes logged and sent over wire, wireshark can't detect packet because the Intel backdoor runs above the OS:
Towards (reasonably) trustworthy x86 laptops
Untrusting the CPU (33c3)
30C3 To Protect And Infect - The militarization of the Internet
Jacob Appelbaum - To Protect and Infect Part 2 - At 30c3 on Mass Surveillance Tools & Software

More links in this discussion:
The Intel ME subsystem can take over your machine, can't be audited

Tools to remove Intel backdoor firmware (You need to physically clip onto a 8pins chip on motherboards to download/neutralize/flash the rom, nothing else can touch it), the backdoor is designed to shutdown your machine within 30 minutes after boot, if you just remove the backdoor and don't handle checksums correctly:
https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner.

Neutralize your Intel backdoor:

Neutralize ME firmware on SandyBridge and IvyBridge platforms

First introduced in Intelâ(TM)s 965 Express Chipset Family, the Intel Management Engine (ME) is a separate computing environment physically located in the (G)MCH chip (for Core 2 family CPUs which is separate from the northbridge), or PCH chip replacing ICH(for Core i3/i5/i7 which is integrated with northbridge).

The ME consists of an individual processor core, code and data caches, a timer, and a secure internal bus to which additional devices are connected, including a cryptography engine, internal ROM and RAM, memory controllers, and a direct memory access (DMA) engine to access the host operating systemâ(TM)s memory as well as to reserve a region of protected external memory to supplement the MEâ(TM)s limited internal RAM. The ME also has network access with its own MAC address through the Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller integrated in the southbridge (ICH or PCH).

The Intel Management Engine with its proprietary firmware has complete access to and control over the PC: it can power on or shut down the PC, read all open files, examine all running applications, track all keys pressed and mouse movements, and even capture or display images on the screen. And it has a network interface that is demonstrably insecure, which can allow an attacker on the network to inject rootkits that completely compromise the PC and can report to the attacker all activities performed on the PC. It is a threat to freedom, security, and privacy that canâ(TM)t be ignored.

https://hackaday.com/tag/intel-management-engine/

Five or so years ago, Intel rolled out something horrible. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine (ME) is a completely separate computing environment running on Intel chipsets that has access to everything. The ME has network access, access to the host operating system, memory, and cryptography engine. The ME can be used remotely even if the PC is powered off. If that sounds scary, it gets e

NSA/CIA/GCHQ Shills kept down voting this from Score 3:

Your Intel CPU is backdoored and it is wide open, right now.

The backdoor is on all modern intel CPU/Chipset and is marketed as vPro/AMT/Small Business Advantage/Anti-Theft Technology.

Remember *3 Billion devices run JAVA* because everyone's motherboard is running it.

REcon 2014 - Intel Management Engine Secrets

CCC Intel CPU backdoor live hack demonstration, keystrokes logged and sent over wire, wireshark can't detect packet because the Intel backdoor runs above the OS:
30C3 To Protect And Infect - The militarization of the Internet
Jacob Appelbaum - To Protect and Infect Part 2 - At 30c3 on Mass Surveillance Tools & Software
Towards (reasonably) trustworthy x86 laptops

Tools to remove Intel backdoor firmware (You need to physically clip onto a 8pins chip on motherboards to download/neutralize/flash the rom, nothing else can touch it):
https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner.

Neutralize your Intel backdoor:

Neutralize ME firmware on SandyBridge and IvyBridge platforms

First introduced in Intelâ(TM)s 965 Express Chipset Family, the Intel Management Engine (ME) is a separate computing environment physically located in the (G)MCH chip (for Core 2 family CPUs which is separate from the northbridge), or PCH chip replacing ICH(for Core i3/i5/i7 which is integrated with northbridge).

The ME consists of an individual processor core, code and data caches, a timer, and a secure internal bus to which additional devices are connected, including a cryptography engine, internal ROM and RAM, memory controllers, and a direct memory access (DMA) engine to access the host operating systemâ(TM)s memory as well as to reserve a region of protected external memory to supplement the MEâ(TM)s limited internal RAM. The ME also has network access with its own MAC address through the Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller integrated in the southbridge (ICH or PCH).

The Intel Management Engine with its proprietary firmware has complete access to and control over the PC: it can power on or shut down the PC, read all open files, examine all running applications, track all keys pressed and mouse movements, and even capture or display images on the screen. And it has a network interface that is demonstrably insecure, which can allow an attacker on the network to inject rootkits that completely compromise the PC and can report to the attacker all activities performed on the PC. It is a threat to freedom, security, and privacy that canâ(TM)t be ignored.

https://hackaday.com/tag/intel-management-engine/

Five or so years ago, Intel rolled out something horrible. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine (ME) is a completely separate computing environment running on Intel chipsets that has access to everything. The ME has network access, access to the host operating system, memory, and cryptography engine. The ME can be used remotely even if the PC is powered off. If that sounds scary, it gets even worse: no one knows what the ME is doing, and we canâ(TM)t even look at the code. When â" not âifâ(TM) â" the ME is finally cracked open, every computer running on a recent Intel chip will have a huge security and privacy issue. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine is the single most dangerous piece of computer hardware ever created.

NSA/CIA/GCHQ Shills kept down voting this from Score 3:

Your Intel CPU is backdoored and it is wide open, right now.

Remember *3 Billion devices run JAVA* because everyone's motherboard is running it.

REcon 2014 - Intel Management Engine Secrets

CCC Intel CPU backdoor live hack demonstration, keystrokes logged and sent over wire, wireshark can't detect packet because the Intel backdoor runs above the OS:
30C3 To Protect And Infect - The militarization of the Internet
Jacob Appelbaum - To Protect and Infect Part 2 - At 30c3 on Mass Surveillance Tools & Software
Towards (reasonably) trustworthy x86 laptops

Tools to remove Intel backdoor firmware (You need to physically clip onto a 8pins chip on motherboards to download/neutralize/flash the rom, nothing else can touch it):
https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner.

Neutralize your Intel backdoor:

Neutralize ME firmware on SandyBridge and IvyBridge platforms

First introduced in Intelâ(TM)s 965 Express Chipset Family, the Intel Management Engine (ME) is a separate computing environment physically located in the (G)MCH chip (for Core 2 family CPUs which is separate from the northbridge), or PCH chip replacing ICH(for Core i3/i5/i7 which is integrated with northbridge).

The ME consists of an individual processor core, code and data caches, a timer, and a secure internal bus to which additional devices are connected, including a cryptography engine, internal ROM and RAM, memory controllers, and a direct memory access (DMA) engine to access the host operating systemâ(TM)s memory as well as to reserve a region of protected external memory to supplement the MEâ(TM)s limited internal RAM. The ME also has network access with its own MAC address through the Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller integrated in the southbridge (ICH or PCH).

The Intel Management Engine with its proprietary firmware has complete access to and control over the PC: it can power on or shut down the PC, read all open files, examine all running applications, track all keys pressed and mouse movements, and even capture or display images on the screen. And it has a network interface that is demonstrably insecure, which can allow an attacker on the network to inject rootkits that completely compromise the PC and can report to the attacker all activities performed on the PC. It is a threat to freedom, security, and privacy that canâ(TM)t be ignored.

https://hackaday.com/tag/intel-management-engine/

Five or so years ago, Intel rolled out something horrible. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine (ME) is a completely separate computing environment running on Intel chipsets that has access to everything. The ME has network access, access to the host operating system, memory, and cryptography engine. The ME can be used remotely even if the PC is powered off. If that sounds scary, it gets even worse: no one knows what the ME is doing, and we canâ(TM)t even look at the code. When â" not âifâ(TM) â" the ME is finally cracked open, every computer running on a recent Intel chip will have a huge security and privacy issue. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine is the single most dangerous piece of computer hardware ever created.

Intel Active Management Technology

Almost all AMT features are available even if the PC is in a powered-off sta

*3 Billion devices run JAVA* because everyone's motherboard is running it.

32c3 Intel CPU backdoor live hack demonstration, keystrokes logged and sent over wire, wireshark can't detect packet because the Intel backdoor runs above the OS:
Towards (reasonably) trustworthy x86 laptops

REcon 2014 - Intel Management Engine Secrets

Tools to remove Intel backdoor firmware (The backdoor firmware sits outside the BIOS, you need to physically clip onto a 8pin chip on motherboards to download/neutralize/flash the rom, nothing else can touch it):
https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner.

Neutralize your Intel backdoor:

Neutralize ME firmware on SandyBridge and IvyBridge platforms

First introduced in Intelâ(TM)s 965 Express Chipset Family, the Intel Management Engine (ME) is a separate computing environment physically located in the (G)MCH chip (for Core 2 family CPUs which is separate from the northbridge), or PCH chip replacing ICH(for Core i3/i5/i7 which is integrated with northbridge).

The ME consists of an individual processor core, code and data caches, a timer, and a secure internal bus to which additional devices are connected, including a cryptography engine, internal ROM and RAM, memory controllers, and a direct memory access (DMA) engine to access the host operating systemâ(TM)s memory as well as to reserve a region of protected external memory to supplement the MEâ(TM)s limited internal RAM. The ME also has network access with its own MAC address through the Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller integrated in the southbridge (ICH or PCH).

The Intel Management Engine with its proprietary firmware has complete access to and control over the PC: it can power on or shut down the PC, read all open files, examine all running applications, track all keys pressed and mouse movements, and even capture or display images on the screen. And it has a network interface that is demonstrably insecure, which can allow an attacker on the network to inject rootkits that completely compromise the PC and can report to the attacker all activities performed on the PC. It is a threat to freedom, security, and privacy that canâ(TM)t be ignored.

https://hackaday.com/tag/intel-management-engine/

Five or so years ago, Intel rolled out something horrible. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine (ME) is a completely separate computing environment running on Intel chipsets that has access to everything. The ME has network access, access to the host operating system, memory, and cryptography engine. The ME can be used remotely even if the PC is powered off. If that sounds scary, it gets even worse: no one knows what the ME is doing, and we canâ(TM)t even look at the code. When â" not âifâ(TM) â" the ME is finally cracked open, every computer running on a recent Intel chip will have a huge security and privacy issue. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine is the single most dangerous piece of computer hardware ever created.

Intel Active Management Technology

Almost all AMT features are available even if the PC is in a powered-off state but with its power cord attached, if the operating system has crashed, if the software agent is missing, or if hardware (such as a hard drive or memory) has failed.[1][2] The console-redirection feature (SOL), agent presence checking, and network traffic filters are available after the PC is powered up.[1][2]

The Management Engine (ME) is an isolated and protected co

Americans seem to think if you lost your cat the fucking Russians did it.

Everyone knows the CIA is the most evil organization and your tax dollar is funding it.

By the way, your Intel CPU is already backdoored, Intel and CIA/NSA are bed buddies that's why CIA/NSA are the biggest suspect.

Remember, *3 Billion devices run JAVA*, and your motherboard backdoor is running it.

REcon 2014 - Intel Management Engine Secrets

32c3 Intel backdoor live hack demonstration, keystrokes logged and sent over wire, wireshark can't detect packet because the Intel backdoor runs above the OS:
Towards (reasonably) trustworthy x86 laptops

Tools to remove Intel backdoor firmware:
https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner.

Neutralize your Intel backdoor:

Neutralize ME firmware on SandyBridge and IvyBridge platforms

First introduced in Intelâ(TM)s 965 Express Chipset Family, the Intel Management Engine (ME) is a separate computing environment physically located in the (G)MCH chip (for Core 2 family CPUs which is separate from the northbridge), or PCH chip replacing ICH(for Core i3/i5/i7 which is integrated with northbridge).

The ME consists of an individual processor core, code and data caches, a timer, and a secure internal bus to which additional devices are connected, including a cryptography engine, internal ROM and RAM, memory controllers, and a direct memory access (DMA) engine to access the host operating systemâ(TM)s memory as well as to reserve a region of protected external memory to supplement the MEâ(TM)s limited internal RAM. The ME also has network access with its own MAC address through the Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller integrated in the southbridge (ICH or PCH).

The Intel Management Engine with its proprietary firmware has complete access to and control over the PC: it can power on or shut down the PC, read all open files, examine all running applications, track all keys pressed and mouse movements, and even capture or display images on the screen. And it has a network interface that is demonstrably insecure, which can allow an attacker on the network to inject rootkits that completely compromise the PC and can report to the attacker all activities performed on the PC. It is a threat to freedom, security, and privacy that canâ(TM)t be ignored.

https://hackaday.com/tag/intel-management-engine/

Five or so years ago, Intel rolled out something horrible. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine (ME) is a completely separate computing environment running on Intel chipsets that has access to everything. The ME has network access, access to the host operating system, memory, and cryptography engine. The ME can be used remotely even if the PC is powered off. If that sounds scary, it gets even worse: no one knows what the ME is doing, and we canâ(TM)t even look at the code. When â" not âifâ(TM) â" the ME is finally cracked open, every computer running on a recent Intel chip will have a huge security and privacy issue. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine is the single most dangerous piece of computer hardware ever created.

Intel Active Management Technology

Almost all AMT features are available even if the PC is in a powered-off state but with its power cord attached, if the operating system has crashed, if the software agent is missing, or if hardware (such as a hard drive or memory) has failed.[1][2] The console-redirection feature (SOL), agent presence checking, a

Your Intel CPU is already backdoored

Forget security, your Intel CPU is already backdoored and it is wide open.

Remember, *3 Billion devices run JAVA*, and your motherboard backdoor is running it.

REcon 2014 - Intel Management Engine Secrets

32c3 Intel backdoor live hack demonstration, keystrokes logged and downloaded over wire, wireshark can't detect:
Towards (reasonably) trustworthy x86 laptops

Tools to remove Intel backdoor firmware:
https://github.com/corna/me_cleaner.

Neutralize your Intel backdoor:

Neutralize ME firmware on SandyBridge and IvyBridge platforms

First introduced in Intelâ(TM)s 965 Express Chipset Family, the Intel Management Engine (ME) is a separate computing environment physically located in the (G)MCH chip (for Core 2 family CPUs which is separate from the northbridge), or PCH chip replacing ICH(for Core i3/i5/i7 which is integrated with northbridge).

The ME consists of an individual processor core, code and data caches, a timer, and a secure internal bus to which additional devices are connected, including a cryptography engine, internal ROM and RAM, memory controllers, and a direct memory access (DMA) engine to access the host operating systemâ(TM)s memory as well as to reserve a region of protected external memory to supplement the MEâ(TM)s limited internal RAM. The ME also has network access with its own MAC address through the Intel Gigabit Ethernet Controller integrated in the southbridge (ICH or PCH).

The Intel Management Engine with its proprietary firmware has complete access to and control over the PC: it can power on or shut down the PC, read all open files, examine all running applications, track all keys pressed and mouse movements, and even capture or display images on the screen. And it has a network interface that is demonstrably insecure, which can allow an attacker on the network to inject rootkits that completely compromise the PC and can report to the attacker all activities performed on the PC. It is a threat to freedom, security, and privacy that canâ(TM)t be ignored.

https://hackaday.com/tag/intel-management-engine/

Five or so years ago, Intel rolled out something horrible. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine (ME) is a completely separate computing environment running on Intel chipsets that has access to everything. The ME has network access, access to the host operating system, memory, and cryptography engine. The ME can be used remotely even if the PC is powered off. If that sounds scary, it gets even worse: no one knows what the ME is doing, and we canâ(TM)t even look at the code. When â" not âifâ(TM) â" the ME is finally cracked open, every computer running on a recent Intel chip will have a huge security and privacy issue. Intelâ(TM)s Management Engine is the single most dangerous piece of computer hardware ever created.

Intel Active Management Technology

Almost all AMT features are available even if the PC is in a powered-off state but with its power cord attached, if the operating system has crashed, if the software agent is missing, or if hardware (such as a hard drive or memory) has failed.[1][2] The console-redirection feature (SOL), agent presence checking, and network traffic filters are available after the PC is powered up.[1][2]

The Management Engine (ME) is an isolated and protected coprocessor, embedded as a non-optional[29] part in all current (as of 2015) Intel chipset

The point is though, existing CRT light-gun games will simply stop working when the CRT is replaced, and there will be no easy fix.

An MCU that reads a Wii Remote and translates it into light gun signals is possible.

> Intel ME is certain to contains a network-accessible backdoor

I see a lot of talk about this, but I don't see many mitigations that can be done by the average user, or even, for that matter, the exceptional user.

Some ways to PRESUMABLY disable ME have been discussed:
http://hackaday.com/2016/11/28...

But you still have it under there, doing something- this just seems to make it network blind. That's a pretty good start.

What if you don't have like, whatever chip programmer this approach needs, and/or other incompatible hardware?

Is it beneficial to cut off a potential ME backdoor via blocking ports at your (non-x86) router? Which ports would give you the best defense?
Is it beneficial to use a non-mobo based network card (wifi or ethernet), in the hopes that the ME won't be smart enough to monitor that? Aka, are most firmware network stacks all about the network functionality built into the mobo?
Are there any other general mitigations that should be followed?

Basically, what is best practice to mitigate this on modern hardware, given that you are on a piece of hardware that you cannot or will not perform the hardware hackery required to blank some of its pages?

Most of this post also works for AMD if you swap Intel->AMD and ME->PSP.

Just an anatomical question: with which body part does this guy tweet?

I mean, an appropriate interface has been documented as early as 2009

An engineer is a person who takes responsibility for what he delivers.

You're a fucking moron.

Here you go, all the way from the 70s, and yeah, they got the shit sued out of them.

"They" in this case means the company involved which "settled out of court" whilst nobody even mentioned the specific "software engineers" involved because they all knew they weren't real engineers.

As for engineers in jail, cite?

Five seconds on google searching "bridge collapse jail" would have saved you embarassment:

• In the Maccabiah collapse five people including the engineer were jailed
• this even happens in places like India notorious otherwise for rich people avoiding jail
• or in China
• Gas Engineers too

Sure, you'll run around like a needledick citing cases where engineers covered up malfeasance and went to jail, but NEVER will you cite a situation where an engineer actually went to jail without mitigating circumstances of a crime.

I'd smack you, but shit splatters.

That word, mitigating, I do not think it means what you think it means. But I do apologise because you make me so afraid.

If you buy this device, Intel still owns it due to the binary blobs that are required to run things...

What is the OS of choice that Intel uses for this card?

If Intel did to this what they've done to their later x86 processors, then it probably doesn't matter much.

Anyone with a basic understanding of circuitry can make a series-parallel array of cells for whatever current draw and voltage requirements you can imagine. Keeping it cool is simple, airflow and aluminum battery casings are the answer.

If your only goal is to pump out power, then yes, most anyone with some basic knowledge can do it.

If, however, you want to make a reliable and safe product that can last for years with predictable behavior, replicate it 100,000 times at reasonably cost, then stuff it into an automobile to let any joe-shmo use it, it's a whole hell of a lot harder. That takes uncommon knowledge, skill, and experience, a whole hell of a lot of money, and a tremendous comfort with risk.

For anyone who is interested, here is a 2014 teardown of a Model S battery pack. It's pretty awesome stuff, and clearly a lot of careful thought and design went into it. Incidentally, the pack is not thermoregulated* using airflow - it has tubing with circulated coolant.

* For Li-Ion chemistry, it's not merely a matter of keeping the cells cool; keeping them at a uniform temperature across the pack is far more important for avoiding accelerated aging and catastrophic failure

heh yeah. Reminds me of http://hackaday.com/2016/08/07...

Hollywood notions? I've been talking about tailored access program of the NSA here and things like TEMPEST that are well known, actual spying tools. Here's the kind of actual Russian spying we discovered back in the 50s. Can you tell me where Hollywood plays into any of this?

The burden of proof to say "it's Russia" is on you. Pray tell what special knowledge do you have, when you're apparently not even familiar with this stuff? Go on, please tell me about your deep knowledge of nation state hacking. It's sad when I have more classified info than you guys (linked above) and your side is claiming we can rely on assurances they won't prove. Oh, don't get me wrong--they will come out with some document next month, but I expect more BS based on their poor track record so far.

Looking at actual nation state hacks, actual nation states try for durable compromise of their targets,. The statue lasted 7 years. We can also see that because the TAO hardware with backdoors that survive being wiped and the stealthy exfiltration mechanisms. Getting 2 days worth of access to something (as with Podesta's Gmail) is not worth much to a nation state. They'd rather compromise an insider at Google or something and get access to Gmail in its entirety (the NSA likely has that access, incidentally). Hacks are most often caught inserting or exfiltrating the data, which is why they try to minimize the time they have to spend doing that.

Frankly only a complete moron would think that Russia has to stoop to 419-style phishing to hack a target (see elsewhere in this story for abundant evidence of this). Nation states target things like ISPs and large providers so they don't have to do silly one-off hacks most of the time. Inasmuch as you can convince us the DNC is completely incompetent for falling for this (perhaps the only thing I can agree on), I'm glad they're not running the country.

With the facts so badly against you, I can only wonder why you refuse to reconsider your biases here.

Go on, tell us about your expert knowledge of nation state level hacking, I'm waiting.

These cheap, noisy attacks lead to maybe a few days worth of compromise if the allegations are to be believed (which is questionable). They're far more interested in durable access, as is evidenced by the collection of real spy hardware they worked to install with advanced methods of nearly undetectable exfiltration used by actual nation states which I linked to above.

They not only could, but have shown us past hacking devices actually attributed to Russia in the past. Here's a famous example: http://hackaday.com/2015/12/08...

Going to rely on allegations of secret knowledge that you can't show anybody? It's funny how your views on verifiable evidence flip around when politics come into play and suddenly we're supposed to trust all the same institutions that have proven willing and able to lie for political reasons in the recent past, a far less unified front than CNN would have you believe.

What happened? You were much more sensible about that sort of thing when arguing against idiotic global warming deniers.

The burden of proof is on the one making allegations of Russian hacking. We know what nation state level hacking looks like thanks, ironically, to Snowden. We know the NSA can intercept your new router in the mail and install a durable backdoor on it that will survive everything you do to it. We know the NSA has TEMPEST vans that can snoop on your screen and keyboard.

The idea that a nation state is left to rely upon low level phishing scams seems laughable at best. Just look to past examples to see that they had better stuff than this.

Here are a few past examples of real hacking. Note how much more sophisticated these attacks were:

* Theremin's bug
* MI6 spies on Russia with fake rock

Please tell me again why Russia has fallen back to kiddie level phishing scams? Remember, the burden of proof is on the people saying "it's Russia" and I'm not going to let anyone shift that.

When some people tell me that Russel's teapot is in orbit and others say it's not, I'm going to wait for evidence. I can't just average them out and conclude that a teacup or possibly a saucer is up there flying around, if not a whole teapot.

I would think that one could hack one of these little guys to do the encryption for you. I wouldn't trust the stock firmware either but it seems reasonable to assume that one could make them do proper encryption.

In other news, Josef Prusa has his PayPal account locked the day before black Friday.

Prusa is the maker of the (fairly well known) Prusa 3-d printer, and as is typical in these PayPal situations, he hasn't the first clue why it happened. They locked all his funds - he can't fulfill purchases and can't even refund his customers.

At least in the Europe case it was the police doing it. When companies do this on request of other companies it puts them in a very hard position.

I wonder how many *non fake* websites got caught up in the sweep, and how many legitimate businesses will be trashed as a result?

You'll notice the post I responded to....acknowledged having cats in the home.

Version 3.1? LOL not likely linky from 8/2016

This question was discussed on Hackaday about a month ago. The criteria for the solution being high-end laptop with Linux capabilty. The conclusion was Lenovo Thinkpad models X, T and P. Here's the link: http://hackaday.com/?s=thinkpa...

Go and read http://www.hackaday.com/ for a couple of minutes then come back here and re-read what you just posted. Don't your eyes go funny?

Turning on a stingray requires active cooperation with the cell provider. So, there is no back door there.

?

https://evilsocket.net/2016/03...

http://hackaday.com/2016/04/08...

And here's another: http://hackaday.com/2014/11/21...

Here's a good one with links to more: http://hackaday.com/2016/05/04...

Hopefully the original creator submitted a patent application and he can sue this company for monetizing his design or at least get their importation blocked at customs. Maybe there's a case to be made here for defensive patents.

Actually saw this developed last year by this guy https://habrahabr.ru/post/2684... via http://hackaday.com/2015/10/10...

http://hackaday.com/2016/07/19...

Sorry to burst your smug bubble, but...

http://hackaday.com/2014/06/18...

No, that doesn't make you safe.

I suppose

More info on Duck Hunt BTW: http://hackaday.com/2015/11/16...

Don Eyles walks us through the Lunar Module source code

I genuinely don't understand why I can't get a power reading from every single light AND socket in the house ... I understand it should cost more to do and it's more complicated but again, 2016!

There is nothing magic about 2016. Yes, I understand, "it's a modern world". But it will cost a lot more to do that, and it will require a lot of smarts to configure this all. How do you manage four things plugged into a power strip? Does each thing report its data, does each socket on the strip report, or do you just monitor the socket in the wall and say that's good enough? How do you tell how much that cable set-top-box is using vs. the TV plugged into the same strip? And then you turn on the lamp plugged into the same strip and ...

So, either you have fine-grained monitoring and a headache managing all the connections and data (which nobody is really going to want to do and nobody is going to want to pay for the ability to not bother doing). Or you monitor at the wall socket level with the headache of managing the data about what is plugged into each one. Or you monitor at the circuit level or house level, which is much easier.

I'm actually kind of glad I'm not well off enough to afford a house, because it would frustrate me to own my own place or build my own place and not be able to easily do that yet.

Oh, you can do it if you want to. You can put these or these all over the place and come up with a wireless mesh data collection network using $3 Arduino Nano knock-offs and a $2 wireless module connected to each. They're all plug-in devices, so you can even do it in the apartment you rent, or in the worst case, your parent's basement (kidding.)

And you are three years late, or one year late, with "it's 2016". Here's one from 2013, and one from 2015.

It will cost more and will be complicated, but yes, it's 2016 and it can be done if you want to do it.

Here is prior art from 2008.

Shachar

Most of us have known for almost a decade that many of Microsoft's wireless mice and keyboards use an insecure protocol. So although this is a clever piece of hardware, it's really sad if anybody is still using vulnerable hardware.

This is just another reason why every time I review a wireless keyboard or mouse or trackball or trackpad, if it isn't Bluetooth, that's usually the first complaint in my review. We have standards for a reason, and those standards are at least moderately robust against this type of attack. Unfortunately, too many keyboard/mouse manufacturers try to cut corners by using whatever cheap custom hardware they've been using for a decade, and they wonder why they get lousy range (not to mention lousy security).

just found this too. looks interesting.

http://hackaday.com/2015/07/25... seems the guy has hacked it to be controlled locally.

If I hadn't seen a similar link in Hackaday yesterday, I might be more receptive to this product.

To quote Peter Gabriel, "I'll tell you straight in the eye, D.I.Y."

genetically engineered T cells

Kite Pharma Inc

Umbrella Turned Delta Kite

Coincidence? I think not.

First thing I thought of as well. Why just hack their computer when you can kill it?

version 2.0

Here's another one (probably not available to you either).
http://hackaday.com/2016/03/02...

The article has this insight:
Of course, we’ve seen so many boards touted as Pi-killers, and like all those also-ran tablets touted as iPad killers a few years ago we’ve never heard of most of them again after a brief moment of chatter. They look so good on paper but the price always lets them down.
The C2 could just escape that fate though, its $40 price point is very close to that of the Pi 3. Setting aside for a moment how much shipping and customs might cost for a package from Korea, that sounds interesting to us.
Why might you buy a C2 then, and why might you buy a Pi 3? That the C2 has a much faster processor is beyond doubt. This and its faster wired networking would make it a much more interesting prospect for anyone whose work involves network-attached data processing. But even though a USB wireless network adaptor can be had for only a few dollars the Pi 3’s onboard wi-fi and Bluetooth makes it much more attractive to a home user or someone using a computer on a platform unfettered by wires.
However impressive the C2 may be it is overwhelmingly likely that the Pi 3 will outsell it many times over. This will not just be due to the massive publicity advantage achieved by the Pi Foundation, but the huge ecosystem of hardware and software developers that have made the Pi boards perform to the limit of their abilities in all directions. If you don’t mind forgoing that support though, you could just find that the board from Korea gives you enough extra bang for your buck to make having it on your bench worthwhile.

This was also covered about a week ago on HackADay: http://hackaday.com/2016/02/22... "Most of the uploaded CAD models on Thingiverse are done under the Creative Commons license, which is pretty clear in its assertion that anyone can profit from the work. This would seem to put the eBay store owner in the clear for selling the work, but it should be noted that he’s not properly attributing the work to the original creator. " The only part that he's violating is that there's no attribution.

"Linux used to be better, but lately, I dread updates, especially major ones because they sometimes will stop my machine from even booting, triggering a big debugging session" ref

Systemd strikes again.

"How many times has a Windows update broken something on your computer?"

I'm pleasantly surprised every time it boots up.

"Linux used to be better, but lately, I dread updates, especially major ones because they sometimes will stop my machine from even booting, triggering a big debugging session" ref

You update a production machine with no known method of restoring to a working system?

Making some observations from recent events, I've noticed:

1) You can order a computer, and the delivery can be intercepted so that spyware can be installed. Especially laptops, which are difficult for the end user to peek inside.

2) The Intel management engine is essentially an attached microprocessor with complete and total remote control of your system, including access to all peripherals, the network, the disk data, and the ability to wake up and run while the main computer is off.

3) The Intel built-in programmable number generator was built in a way to be unverifiable. Essentially, the system reads physically generated random data and puts it through a hashing algorithm before giving it to the user. If the random number generator section is damaged (say, if someone modified the chip mask films before fab), you will get much less than the advertized 256-bits of entropy, but because the data is hashed there is no way to tell.

Buy American!

Popular news: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/lg...

Geek news: https://hackaday.com/2013/11/2... (also consider the blog entry linked in that story http://doctorbeet.blogspot.co.... )

And this is only about that particular company's products, other smart tvs from other companies spy as well.

Now of course that won't protect you against someone sabotaging the port so it outright damages someone's device; has anyone heard of someone intentionally sabotaging USB ports so anything you plug into them gets damaged?

Yup!
http://hackaday.com/2015/10/10/the-usb-killer-version-2-0/

quite a jump there, from analyzing code to irradiating people..

Not really...

http://hackaday.com/2015/10/26...

FAA Drone Rules May Already Be Outlawed By Congress

Geez.

The money quote from TFA (original):

A few years ago, Congress passed the Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, an immense 300-page tome that set directives to the FAA including how airports should be improved, what medical certificates apply to what type of pilot, and special rules for model aircraft.

The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration may not promulgate any rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft, or an aircraft being developed as a model aircraft

In the Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, ‘model aircraft’ are defined as, ‘an unmanned aircraft capable of sustained flight in the atmosphere, flown within visual line of sight, and flown for hobby or recreational purposes.’ If these qualifications are met, the FAA may not make a rule regarding these aircraft, so long as they are not flown within 5 miles of an airport.

Imagine Teh evul BOOOOSH!!!! administration doing this.

But no, Obama gets a pass. Because of the "D" he puts after his name.