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posted by takyon on Wednesday November 08 2017, @04:11PM   Printer-friendly
from the sinister-nix dept.

Professor Andrew S. Tanenbaum from the Department of Computer Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam wrote "An Open Letter to Intel" regarding Intel's use of MINIX 3 to run the Intel Management Engine (video) built into their processors:

Thanks for putting a version of MINIX 3 inside the ME-11 management engine chip used on almost all recent desktop and laptop computers in the world. I guess that makes MINIX the most widely used computer operating system in the world, even more than Windows, Linux, or MacOS. And I didn't even know until I read a press report about it. Also here and here and here and here and here (in Dutch), and a bunch of other places.

[...] Note added later: Some people have pointed out online that if MINIX had a GPL license, Intel might not have used it since then it would have had to publish the modifications to the code. Maybe yes, maybe no, but the modifications were no doubt technical issues involving which mode processes run in, etc. My understanding, however, is that the small size and modular microkernel structure were the primary attractions. Many people (including me) don't like the idea of an all-powerful management engine in there at all (since it is a possible security hole and a dangerous idea in the first place), but that is Intel's business decision and a separate issue from the code it runs. A company as big as Intel could obviously write its own OS if it had to. My point is that big companies with lots of resources and expertise sometimes use microkernels, especially in embedded systems. The L4 microkernel has been running inside smartphone chips for years.

Professor Tanenbaum did the initial design and development of MINIX, a microkernel used primarily for teaching. He has helped guide it through the years as a small community around it has grown. Lately it has adopted much of the NetBSD userspace. The IME is a full operating system system running inside x86 computers. It gets run before whatever system on the actual hard disk even starts booting.

Related: Intel Management Engine Partially Defeated
EFF: Intel's Management Engine is a Security Hazard
Disabling Intel ME 11 Via Undocumented Mode
How-To: Disabling the Intel Management Engine
Positive Technologies - Learn and Secure : Intel ME: The Way of Static Analysis (takyon: I marked this one to not display at the time since it was a blog post from April and ran within hours of the preceding IME story.)
Purism Disables Intel Management Engine on Librem Laptops


Original Submission #1Original Submission #2

 
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  • (Score: 1) by DannyB on Wednesday November 08 2017, @05:32PM (1 child)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday November 08 2017, @05:32PM (#594160) Journal

    How is the -p option of fsck relevant?

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Wednesday November 08 2017, @05:51PM

    by tangomargarine (667) on Wednesday November 08 2017, @05:51PM (#594170)

    verb (used with object)
    1.
    (of animals, especially birds) to trim or dress (feathers, fur, etc.) with the beak or tongue:
    The peacock preened itself on the lawn.
    2.
    to dress (oneself) carefully or smartly; primp:
    The king preened himself in his elaborate ceremonial robes.
    3.
    to pride (oneself) on an achievement, personal quality, etc.:
    He preened himself on having been graduated with honors.
    verb (used without object)
    4.
    to make oneself appear striking or smart in dress or appearance:
    No amount of careful preening will compensate for poor posture.
    5.
    to be exultant or proud.

    Not the first definition, the third or fifth.

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