Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by janrinok on Wednesday December 06 2017, @06:49PM   Printer-friendly
from the what-people-want dept.

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

Linux computer vendor System76 announced this week that it will roll out a firmware update to disable Intel Management Engine on laptops sold in the past few years. Purism will also disable Intel Management Engine on computers it sells moving forward. Those two computer companies are pretty small players in the multi-billion dollar PC industry. …

... Intel's Management Engine is a hardware and software system designed to provide some remote management features. But it's come under criticism from privacy advocates, security researchers, and the free and open source software community.

That's because Intel Management Engine is basically a mystery. It's software that runs independently of a computer's operating system, which means that even if you wipe the OS, the Management Engine is still there. And there's no good way to know what it's doing.

The risks aren't just theoretical – Intel recently acknowledged a security vulnerability affecting nearly every PC that shipped with a 6th, 7th, or 8th-gen Intel Core processor. While the company is working with PC makers to roll out updates to patch that vulnerability, it wouldn't even exist if Intel hadn't bundled a feature many users don't need and won't use with its latest chips.

System76 are making a similar move:

System76 is one a handful of companies that sells computers that run Linux software out of the box. But like most PCs that have shipped with Intel’s Core processors in the past few years, System76 laptops include Intel’s Management Engine firmware. Intel recently confirmed a major security vulnerability affecting those chips and it’s working with …

Source: https://liliputing.com/2017/12/dell-also-sells-laptops-intel-management-engine-disabled.html

Source: https://liliputing.com/2017/11/system76-will-disable-intel-management-engine-linux-laptops.html


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Wednesday December 06 2017, @07:27PM (5 children)

    by bob_super (1357) on Wednesday December 06 2017, @07:27PM (#606312)

    > from the what-people-want dept.

    Let's be honest for a minute: well over 99% of Intel users do not understand and/or care.
    Yes, they should.
    No, they don't.

    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Insightful=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  

    Total Score:   3  
  • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 06 2017, @07:50PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 06 2017, @07:50PM (#606337)

    Linux neckbeards who live waist deep in Cheetos dust don't know how to think outside the basement.

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 06 2017, @08:05PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 06 2017, @08:05PM (#606352)

      Meh, beats sucking the proprietary dick of the patriarchy.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday December 06 2017, @08:13PM

      by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Wednesday December 06 2017, @08:13PM (#606355) Journal

      Those BSD neckbeards who are up to their armpits in Doritos crumbs, now, THOSE guys know something :)

      --
      I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 06 2017, @08:31PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday December 06 2017, @08:31PM (#606371)

      Your argument applies to every knowledge domain. You're just a hateful shit, along with a list of attributes I could guess at but will refrain since the probability of accuracy is a bit lower than I'd prefer.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Wednesday December 06 2017, @10:43PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday December 06 2017, @10:43PM (#606460) Journal

    Let's be honest for a minute: well over 99% of Intel users do not understand and/or care.

    Similar to so called "smart" TV users.

    There is nothing smart about owning a SmartTV.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.