Hack: Disable Intel’s Management Engine

[German]Security Researchers from Russian security firm Positive Technologies has found a way, to disable the unsecure, vulnerable and much hated Intel Management Engine (ME) 11 on Boards.


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Intel ME is a kind of its own operating system, running below the operating system and provides several functions for the main board. But there are several problems with ME:

  • It's undocumented, what Intel Management Engine does in details and what's hidden behind the software (backdoors, kill switch).
  • Intel Management Engine has critical vulnerabilities, that hasn't been fixed by all vendors.

Many users intends to deactivate the Intel Management Engine, but there is no such feature offered by Intel.

Thanks to NSA there is a way to deactivate that thing

I stumbled two day ago over this article, discussing how to deactivate Intel Management Engine. A team from Positive Technologies managed it to deep dive into Intel Management Engine. There they found an undocumented modus link to the High Assurance Platform (HAP) program of US government (aka NSA).

After digging around, the researchers was able to patch a reserve_hap bit in a corresponding field within the ME firmware and store it back on the board. Afterward, it seems that Intel Management Engine was deactivated. More details may be found within this article. Addendum: Also bleeping computers has an article with further details and thoughts.


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2 Responses to Hack: Disable Intel’s Management Engine

  1. Paul Rain says:

    The NSA is a terorrist organization.

    They spy on us, while doing nothing to expel the terrorists.

  2. Gunay says:

    All Governments are Terrorist State, they fall under United States NSA follow the order.

    -They put these spying code inside computer chips with RF radio chip that can go in your computer through air even when you don't have internet!

    -Collecting all your biological data and information about you store them on server.

    -99% of all people that are under surveillance by governments big brother are innocent nothing to do with criminal things or everything that is above the red line.

    -They can through your harddrives and take all your photos and private things and send them on servers, and watch you from cam.

    All these things wide options that NSA government agency's is not for terrorism purpose but prepare or get full control over everybody.

    When somebody have documents or proof that your government is corrupt from top to bottom, how can he leak or speech to everyone whats going on if he is already catched or be killed..?

    Your home is already under surveillence they can spy you whenever they want, if you ask your privacy back and don't want be watched then they will say "why? are you hiding something? we don't want that you keep something secret from us"

    But who is tracking watching them or keep illegal things secret??
    I don't believe if somebody got huge material like Edward Snowden, he will be 100% killed before he take flight to China/Russia

    Edward Snowden has already price on his head, US Agency is calling him traitor

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