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A comment on Undocumented x86 instructions in Intel CPUs that can modify microcode. Parent comment

Re:Undocumented x86 instructions in Intel CPUs that can modi... by boomboomsubban on Friday March 19, 2021 @10:52PM (#26520420)
>What is unknown (pure speculation) is whether, for example, Intel CPUs come backdoored straight from the factory floor?

There is also a third possibility, that some intelligence agency invested a ton of cash into finding abusable exploits in these systems giving them the same access a backdoor would provide.

Also from the Snowden leaks, we know that they have programs with budgets in the millions into finding similar exploits and that there were similar programs outside Snowden's clearance. And though a bug may cause the same damage to the economy, it wouldn't hurt US prestige in the same way.

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Re:Undocumented x86 instructions in Intel CPUs that can modi... by rblatz on Saturday March 20, 2021 @03:07AM (#26521372)
If I'm the CIA I have dozens of highly placed agents or at least informants at Intel. Not necessarily placing backdoors, but finding and not fixing exploits and sending them back to the CIA for later use. It would be extremely cheap, hell if I'm China, Russia, the UK, or Israel I'm doing the same thing.
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Re:Undocumented x86 instructions in Intel CPUs that can modi... by monocasa on Saturday March 20, 2021 @02:15PM (#26524888)
You don't even Intel employees for that. State actors typically get source access for 'verfication' purposes.

Russia and China would get Windows source access for instance.

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Re:Undocumented x86 instructions in Intel CPUs that can modi... by jeffbee on Saturday March 20, 2021 @12:10AM (#26520754)
Budgets in the millions, eh? So two full-time engineers?
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Re:Undocumented x86 instructions in Intel CPUs that can modi... by boomboomsubban on Saturday March 20, 2021 @12:37AM (#26520838)
Sorry, I misremembered the details. Around $400 million a year for the one program we have details on.
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