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What's been going on with the embedded ME/PSP in x86-compatible hardware for the last 10 years is ugly. If this is real--I'm hoping this evolves into a real al

What's been going on with the embedded ME/PSP in x86-compatible hardware for the last 10 years is ugly. If this is real--I'm hoping this evolves into a real alternative to that architecture though it's possible it could start doing the same thing.

rzzzt 6y ago
Do you see any major differences between a T2-backed system and an ME/PSP one? How about TrustZone?
- tenebrisalietum 6y ago
  I really have to do some research on this. I haven't because I have not really been planning on purchasing a MAC. Here's some questions I would want to have answers to. - Does the T2 have a private uncontrolled connection to system RAM? I know it has some connection to the onboard SSD, other IO and serves as an enclave for platform keys. - Does the T2 have a private bus/connection to any onboard Ethernet adapter or Wifi like ME does? - Does the T2 serve as the foundation of remote management features (that are present in all CPUs even if not vPro enabled) like ME does? This is important because it means that it's supposed to be accessed remotely by design. - Does the T2 serve as the foundation of anti-theft features like ME does? This facility also has remote-access-by-design components. - Does the T2 serve as the foundation of Protected Video or Audio path type features? - What can the T2 make the CPU do? Can the T2 freeze the CPU, redirect the CPU to other code, then restore CPU state (I'm fairly sure the ME can do this) - Intel CPU's have a built-in display adapter and you can't really disable or sidestep it. Hence, there is no separation between what is on the screen and the CPU, and by proxy the ME. To what extent can the T2 modify video RAM without the CPU knowing?
  - dathinab 6y ago
    But don't ARM chips have TrustZone which is quite similar to ME/PSP wrt. the danger it can have. And isn't T2 additional to the TrustZone on their ARM chips? Or did it replace the TrustZone?

rzzzt 6y ago

Do you see any major differences between a T2-backed system and an ME/PSP one? How about TrustZone?

tenebrisalietum 6y ago
I really have to do some research on this. I haven't because I have not really been planning on purchasing a MAC. Here's some questions I would want to have answers to. - Does the T2 have a private uncontrolled connection to system RAM? I know it has some connection to the onboard SSD, other IO and serves as an enclave for platform keys. - Does the T2 have a private bus/connection to any onboard Ethernet adapter or Wifi like ME does? - Does the T2 serve as the foundation of remote management features (that are present in all CPUs even if not vPro enabled) like ME does? This is important because it means that it's supposed to be accessed remotely by design. - Does the T2 serve as the foundation of anti-theft features like ME does? This facility also has remote-access-by-design components. - Does the T2 serve as the foundation of Protected Video or Audio path type features? - What can the T2 make the CPU do? Can the T2 freeze the CPU, redirect the CPU to other code, then restore CPU state (I'm fairly sure the ME can do this) - Intel CPU's have a built-in display adapter and you can't really disable or sidestep it. Hence, there is no separation between what is on the screen and the CPU, and by proxy the ME. To what extent can the T2 modify video RAM without the CPU knowing?
- dathinab 6y ago
  But don't ARM chips have TrustZone which is quite similar to ME/PSP wrt. the danger it can have. And isn't T2 additional to the TrustZone on their ARM chips? Or did it replace the TrustZone?