hardware backdoors

[molly]

here you can discuss hardware and firmware backdoors and any other hardware security issues in things like CPU's, routers ....

provide any links to interesting sites on the topic

[anonymous_]

Everyone knows about Intel ME and how it runs MINIX inside your computer and has full control over the memory etc.

What we don't hear about, are the backdoors inside AMD, VIA and ARM.
AMD has the 'PSP'. ARM has it's 'trustzone'.

Let's not forget most routers come borked as well. Phones have a backdoor into the modem, even if you change the ROM on it.
Cars have remote stop now.

[digdeeper]

The botnet is physical. We need to take over the companies and purge all the backdoors while still keeping the compatibility with
popular CPU architectures.

It is insane a company can just "own" a production facility for computer parts, put their shitty backdoor in, and we can't do shit because creating our own hardware is inaccessible in your basement. "The market" HAS SPECTACULARLY FAILED at solving this problem. And the entire civilization relies on computing now so you can't just avoid it.

But this is too radical for most people. Yet, it's the only option and this will become increasingly more obvious with passing time.

[TechLord]

It is insane a company can just "own" a production facility for computer parts, put their shitty backdoor in, and we can't do shit because creating our own hardware is inaccessible in your basement.

Not only that, there are patent laws, laws protecting trade secrets, and copyright laws, that thwart any competition.

Patent laws make it a legal mine field for anyone to create products competing with the oligopoly, if they even get that far.

Search for "smartphone patent wars" for example. If the "big guys" can get into trouble, there is no hope for the "little guys".

Xiaomi only succeeded because it was probably backed by the Chinese government.

The laws are designed to suppress competition.

See also: LRS Wiki: patent.

[Anon E. Moose]

The botnet is physical. We need to take over the companies and purge all the backdoors while still keeping the compatibility with
popular CPU architectures.

It is insane a company can just "own" a production facility for computer parts, put their shitty backdoor in, and we can't do shit because creating our own hardware is inaccessible in your basement. "The market" HAS SPECTACULARLY FAILED at solving this problem. And the entire civilization relies on computing now so you can't just avoid it.

But this is too radical for most people. Yet, it's the only option and this will become increasingly more obvious with passing time.

there's no evidence that Intel ME/AMD PSP is a backdoor , if so the companies would be in trouble. cellular modems on smartphones are isolated from the system and OS via IOMMU. every CPU/GPU/drivers/most firmware are proprietary, which doesn't mean it's insecure or bad.

[Theundercoverman_]

there's no evidence that Intel ME/AMD PSP is a backdoor

Is there any evidence that Intel ME/AMD PSP isn't a backdoor?

[Anon E. Moose]

there's no evidence that Intel ME/AMD PSP is a backdoor

Is there any evidence that Intel ME/AMD PSP isn't a backdoor?

Its just is, m'kay?

[anonymous_]

The botnet is physical. We need to take over the companies and purge all the backdoors while still keeping the compatibility with
popular CPU architectures.

It is insane a company can just "own" a production facility for computer parts, put their shitty backdoor in, and we can't do shit because creating our own hardware is inaccessible in your basement. "The market" HAS SPECTACULARLY FAILED at solving this problem. And the entire civilization relies on computing now so you can't just avoid it.

But this is too radical for most people. Yet, it's the only option and this will become increasingly more obvious with passing time.

there's no evidence that Intel ME/AMD PSP is a backdoor , if so the companies would be in trouble. cellular modems on smartphones are isolated from the system and OS via IOMMU. every CPU/GPU/drivers/most firmware are proprietary, which doesn't mean it's insecure or bad.

I don't know a whole lot about the AMD PSP, AFAIK it's less documented than the Intel ME.
Intel ME is known to be able to access memory contents, as well as other system functions remotely. This is it's function, as a remote admin tool. Regardless of if you think it was put there for nefarious purposes or not, it is a vulnerability unless its utility is absolutely required. The primary theory I ascribe to is that, yes, the ME has a backdoor, but it is reserved for high value targets or for hackers that are truly 'in the know'. The average joe realistically does not have to worry about it, but the fact that it is there is still disturbing.

I'm sure there's more information out there about it, I'd love to know it.

Regarding CPU/GPU/drivers/most firmware, most firmware does not have access to the entire system, run it's own lateral system (Minix in this case), and have direct internet access.


Also, why do you think the companies would be in trouble? M$ Wangdoze and CrappleOS has a gorillion "backdoors", tracking and various privacy violations put into it, and no one cares except us privacy "schizos". Most people do not care.
Hell, people invite listening devices into their homes constantly in the form of Alexa, Google Dot, even their smartphone and smartTVs!
The companies would not be in trouble.

But wait, what about the government? Wouldn't they be mad?? Lol no, they put in the off switch SPECIFICALLY at the request of the government. The high assurance platform (HAP bit) is used for their internal purposes, the gub ain't using the shit the pleb gotta.

[mia2ndpassword]

Everyone knows about Intel ME and how it runs MINIX inside your computer and has full control over the memory etc.

What we don't hear about, are the backdoors inside AMD, VIA and ARM.
AMD has the 'PSP'. ARM has it's 'trustzone'.

Let's not forget most routers come borked as well. Phones have a backdoor into the modem, even if you change the ROM on it.
Cars have remote stop now.

The SMM cpu state can also be used as a backdoor, in fact, unlike ME (not referring to AMT), it is proofed that it was used as a backdoor by bad actors like the nsa.
This can be mitigated by flashing coreboot although, not all chipsets support a free SMM handler implementation

About the car thing, that made me remember a video Luke Smith made about roads eheh

[mia2ndpassword]

The botnet is physical. We need to take over the companies and purge all the backdoors while still keeping the compatibility with
popular CPU architectures.

It is insane a company can just "own" a production facility for computer parts, put their shitty backdoor in, and we can't do shit because creating our own hardware is inaccessible in your basement. "The market" HAS SPECTACULARLY FAILED at solving this problem. And the entire civilization relies on computing now so you can't just avoid it.

But this is too radical for most people. Yet, it's the only option and this will become increasingly more obvious with passing time.

I saw a open-source intel/amd 8088 ibm xt clone, they named it "NuXT", and it took 12 years to be finished, do you think we are close? hehe, you can buy those for 300 bucks, that's total steal for a open source x86-compatible machine, i'm not being paid btw