Petition for Intel to Release an ME-less CPU design

Purism has started a petition for Intel to either release an ME-less CPU design or open-source it. Intel ME(Management Engine) is sometimes also known as AMT or vPro.(Though vPro is an umbrella of multiple technologies.) Note non-vPro CPU's also have Intel ME integrated, it's part of all modern Intel CPUs.

https://puri.sm/posts/petition-for-intel-to-release-an-me-less-cpu-design/

More technical details can be found in this paper:
http://blog.invisiblethings.org/2015/10/27/x86_harmful.html

 

I still need to read the paper, but can you perhaps explain how Intel ME is a security risk?

 

Here's some:

http://www.slideshare.net/codeblue_jp/igor-skochinsky-enpub
Afaik there's some privileges it has such as direct memory access etc, but I don't know all the details.

There is also a thread on Wilders here but with the terminology being confused I don't think everything there is correct information and also not sure on what exactly applies to ME and what to other technology.
https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/secret-3g-intel-chip-provides-backdoors.353866/

 

OK, I see. I always wondered what Intel ME was about, but this really is a bit troubling.

 

Done.

 

I suspect that the only hope of persuasion on Intel is corporate pressure.

 

Intel x86s Hide Another CPU That Can Take Over Your Machine -- You Can't Audit it

-- Tom