Intel, CSME vulnerability in all processors in the past five years

The security researchers of Positive Technologies they discovered a new one unsolvable vulnerability, a bit like Specter and Meltdown, in the Intel processors produced in the past five years. According to what researchers revealed, antiviruses would not be able to identify vulnerabilities. Intel acknowledged the existence of the problem, but downplayed the potential implications and risks to the user. As we mentioned them, the initial consensus seems to be that Specter and Meltdown constituted (constitutes) a much more serious and profound threat.

The flaw is found in the so-called Converged Security and Management Engine, often abbreviated as CSME, which is responsible for implementing security features such as TPM, UEFI firmware authentication, BitLocker, Microsoft System Guard and more. The problem is that the IOMMU (Input-Output Memory Management Unit) is initialized too late in the firmware boot process, which creates a 'opportunity to load unauthorized code from other chips. What makes the vulnerability so dangerous is that it occurs very early in the boot chain, and therefore cannot be easily remedied through a firmware update. The entire root of trust of Intel processors – and consequently of systems based on them – is therefore compromised.

Even if the actual flaw cannot be resolved, this does not mean that they cannot be activated mitigations that significantly reduce attack opportunities. Patches released by Intel block a possible carrier already known, and the Santa Clara company says that the exploit can now be exploited only if you have physical access to the system to violate. For the moment, there are no known similar vulnerabilities on AMD processors.