Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Super Micro Says Review Found No Malicious Chips in Motherboards (reuters.com)

Posted by msmash on from the tussle-continues dept.

Computer hardware maker Super Micro Computer told customers on Tuesday that an outside investigations firm had found no evidence of any malicious hardware in its current or older-model motherboards. From a report: In a letter to customers, the San Jose, California, company said it was not surprised by the result of the review it commissioned in October after a Bloomberg article reported that spies for the Chinese government had tainted Super Micro equipment to eavesdrop on its clients.

3 of 95 comments (clear)

  1. Sufficient proof to 'prove the negative'? by david.emery · · Score: 4, Interesting

    On this story, and the previous stories on this topic, a lot of posters have doubted the denials from Super Micro, Apple, Facebook and the various government agencies. I suspect this independent audit won't convince them, either.

    So my question for the assembled multitude is this: What would be -sufficient proof- this didn't happen? Or is this one of those things where you won't accept any explanation from "the deep state"/"vested interests"/etc?

    This is a significant issue for tech in general, as we need some widely accepted way to show systems are free from hidden vulnerabilities.

    1. Re:Sufficient proof to 'prove the negative'? by _bug_ · · Score: 5, Insightful

      There's no proving a negative. Burden of proof is on Bloomberg and they don't have it. People who believe the Bloomberg story aren't going to be convinced of anything otherwise. It's like trying to argue a person's religious belief is 'not true'.

    2. Re:Sufficient proof to 'prove the negative'? by timholman · · Score: 4, Insightful

      There's no proving a negative. Burden of proof is on Bloomberg and they don't have it.

      Exactly. Supposedly thousands of motherboards were compromised, and sold to multiple customers. The failure of Bloomberg (or anyone else) to produce a single compromised piece of hardware, or even a die photo of the supposed spy chip, says it all. There's no evidence to be found because it doesn't exist.

      Conspiracy believers aren't going to change their minds. But for everyone else in the industry, it has become blatantly clear that Bloomberg screwed up royally with this story.