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This is only the microcode, not the deeper level minix, accessing all the IO and memory, where all the backdoors are suspected. Think of run-time patched CPU co
by rurban 4y ago
This is only the microcode, not the deeper level minix, accessing all the IO and memory, where all the backdoors are suspected. Think of run-time patched CPU code to patch HW errors.
- mjg59 4y agoThe microcode runs on the CPU, and has the (theoretical) ability to directly modify anything running on the CPU simply by executing different instructions. The Management Engine (the component that runs the Minix kernel) is on the external chipset, and has no direct visibility into the state of the CPU. The OS that runs on the Management Engine has also been decodable for years, and while bugs have been identified nobody has found anything that's strong evidence of a back door.