jessie
3 HN mentions · mentioned in 3 months, 2023
6:36 · 12K views · Oct 7, 2018
A short video explaining the Intel Management Engine, a hidden embedded computer inside Intel machines with deep access to hardware. It is presented from an insider's perspective and raises backdoor and NSA concerns.
HN cites it as a quick introduction to why Intel ME is a trust problem for anyone worried about hardware-level access.
3 comments from Hacker News
I use KeePassXC to manage passwords. Save the encrypted file (Password.kdbx, 3 kB) wherever you want. Extra points: For emails, buy a domain like mydomain.com for about $15 a year. This lets you have a stable email address (e.g., johndoe@mydomain.com) no matter which email service you use. Consider [LINK] or something similar. I also use Portmaster when I am on Windows. Forget defending against the government, they have state authority (violence, jail time), you don't. See: [LINK] One-time pad (OTP) or "true randomness" (uniform probability distribution) is your only safe option (as long as they cannot time travel), but do it offline. Don't trust computers, see: Intel ME explained (intel management engine) from insider this video Physics is your only safe haven. Seemingly, everything/everybody has to abide by the law of physics. Even your "almighty" state.
The Intel Management Engine always runs as long as the motherboard is receiving power, even when the computer is turned off. This issue can be mitigated with deployment of a hardware device, which is able to disconnect mains power. Intel's main competitor AMD has incorporated the equivalent AMD Secure Technology (formally called Platform Security Processor) in virtually all of its post-2013 CPUs. [LINK] Ylian Saint-Hilaire, principal Engineer working on remote management software including hardware manageability: this video [LINK]
The problem of having a "secret" computer (with an operating system) within your computer. this video This embedded computer system has access to all your memory devices. Disabling it? Not convenient.