SearchSecurity, September 1, 2017
Security researchers studying the Intel Management Engine (ME) discovered an undocumented kill switch in the code, as well as references to a National Security Agency program.
Experts have been wary of the Intel ME because it is an embedded subsystem on every chip that essentially functions as a separate CPU, with deep access to system processes, and it could be active even if the system were hibernating or shut off.
Satya Gupta, co-founder and CTO at application security vendor Virsec in San Jose, Calif., said the Intel kill switch "at the chip level may sound nefarious, [and] it's almost inevitable for any technology to have a reboot function if all else fails."
"Technology backdoors are always problematic and a very slippery slope. We've seen this with the encryption debate -- if there's a backdoor, it will almost inevitably get in the wrong hands and become a huge liability," Gupta told SearchSecurity. "And if the U.S. has a backdoor, should this be shared with allies? Will China demand their own backdoors to allow access to their markets?"