Uncorrectable freedom and security issues on x86 platforms (2016)

Re:Uncorrectable freedom and security issues on x86 platform... by timonovici on Friday March 03, 2017 @05:28PM (#13787436)

1. The motherboad has a ARC chip, that loads a firmware included in the flash chip. That ARC chip is supposedly inside the PCH (Platform Controller Hub, a north bridge on steroids) - it's efectively in the silicon, you can't remove it.

2. Depends on the motherboard and the BIOS written in the flash chip

3. No. They are already signed.

4. If somebody controls them and ask them to do so. All that's necesary is a LAN connection (or wifi, but only with Intel chips) and power. The HDD is completely irrelevant, as is the OS.

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Re:Uncorrectable freedom and security issues on x86 platform... by graycat on Friday March 03, 2017 @11:00PM (#13789160)

The motherboard I have in mind is the ASUS m5a97 r2.0. Back in October, 2015 I got a PDF on that motherboard at

http://data.manualslib.com/pdf2/42/4150/414970-asus/m5a97_r2...

Just checking, the PDF does mention the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) but not ARC or PCH.

That ASUS manual does mention that the UEFI BIOS does offer automatic updating of the BIOS version; that feature, if enabled, does seem to raise security concerns.

Looking at the UEFI page of Wikipedia at

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_In...

there is

> UEFI can support remote diagnostics and repair of computers, even with no operating system installed.[3]

which seems to raise some security concerns. Also it does appear that some people trying to install an operating system might encounter some mud wrestling. Maybe what I'm intending to do with Microsoft's Windows 7, 10, and Server will be easy enough.

Thanks.

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