Topic: intel vPro processor backdoor to make securing bitcoin impossable? - page 2. (Read 9507 times)

But was the R&D financed by NSA or something like that, or are they spending millions for easy remote tech support?

Every Intel vPro CPU ships with an undocumented 3G chip inside, according to a report, which is visible on the 3G network even when a PC is not turned on.

The idea is to enable the Anti Theft 3.0 technology, found on every Core i3, i5 and i7 CPU after Sandy Bridge, meaning almost every new CPU from Intel may have an embedded and hidden 3G connection Intel didn't bother to tell you about, Softpedia reports.

While it is usually preferable to tackle the question at hand and not attack the source, the rumour appears to come from the PopularResistance blog, where the story is illustrated with a conspiracy-drenched mock-up of an all seeing eye with Intel in the middle, mentions of creeping fascism in the copy, and peppered with liberal doses of paranoia, a common theme in certain circles - not soothed by proof of the US government's surveillance dragnet.

Although the story is not entirely unfeasible, given the revelations from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden about backdoors installed into consumer and enterprise technology, as well as the NSA itself setting security certification standards, the actual concrete evidence is not there.

Freelancer Jim Stone, of PopularResistance, claims: "You see, Core vPro processors work in conjunction with Intel’s new Anti Theft 3.0, which put 3g connectivity into every Intel CPU after the Sandy Bridge version of the I3/5/7 processors. Users do not get to know about that 3g connection, but it IS there."

Stone goes on to say, speaking of the vPro: "From the technical viewpoint of someone who worked for an intelligence agency, I call B.S. on Intel, avoid these processors like the plague!"

An Intel spokesperson, responding to TechEye, said: "First, Intel does not participate in government efforts to decrease security in technology, and does not include backdoors for unauthorised access into its products. 

"Second, the piece on vPro is based on incorrect information, assumptions and misunderstandings; it is wrong on many levels," the spokesperson said. "The underlying technology is not new and has been in place for more than 7 years."

When asked if consumers or customers would appreciate hidden 3G technology in Intel CPUs, the spokesperson said: "I would note that the Snowden leaks was not mentioned in the vPro article that has been circulating".

Forget alex jones, but vpro is very real and potentially the mother of all rootkits. Undetectable by software, impossible to turn off.  The Vpro controller has direct access to your hdd, keyboard, ram, and an attacker can indirectly gain access to all the rest, like camera and microphone. The possibilities are very scary.

It's not a secret chip, and it's not for spying.  It's for remote administration and theft recovery.  If you don't like it, just disable it, wrap it in tin foil, or don't buy it in the first place.

or you can, you know... use an AMD processor

Maybe if they spent years and went through it transistor by transistor, then yeah, someone could verify that the processor doesn't have an intentional backdoor. But the thing is, they're pushing SGX on consumers by saying that it's for their security. In a few years, you might not be able to get a reasonably new processor without it.

The real issue is Intel's SGX. Software Guard Extensions basically means you don't have control over your computer anymore. It means that unless you reverse-engineer the processor itself, you can make malware that is impossible to analyze -- a dream for an entity like the NSA. Additionally, Intel could easily be forced to hand over the private keys used by SGX, allowing the NSA to bypass it. Even if the processor was entirely open source, and you verified that an off-the-shelf processor exactly matched the open source specification transistor for transistor, you STILL wouldn't be able to prove Intel backdoored SGX, because all it takes is knowledge of the private key.

Ever since reading The Cold Cash War many years ago I've tended to figure this kind of stuff was coming. That they actually talk about it outside of classified documents nowadays might mean its been around a lot longer than you might think and might be in a lot of chips you might not expect stuff like that to be in...

-MarkM-

I've watched a lot of his DVDs he seems schizophrenic, but he makes a good living spreading FUD and misinformation...

yes