This is normal, like the other guys had says, so long as you run as Ring-0 you can do ANYTHING to it.

Also there's already a backdoor implemented inside nearly all chip now. It's called JTAG (look for it in Wiki). Some implemented with a hash key, some don't. If you have access to those hash key, you could read all/nearly-all function cell inside those chip. Engineers use it to test working of chip/circuit.

When you have hundred thousand connection on your circuit, you do not want to test each lead of your production line circuits by Multimeter (one-by-one). They might do it in pre-production samples, but not in the production scale. That's one advantage on the JTAG. And you can daisy-chain it throughout your board (not just internal chip only).

If "Big Brother" put an interest on you, believe me getting hold of your computer data is the LEAST of your problem.

NV_FAN_HATER

1. This "flaw" needs ring 0 access (read: admin rights) to be exploited.

Analogy:

"I am a burglar, I ask for your house keys, and then I boast how I can easily steal your valuables."

As Dave already said -- if you have the admin rights to a machine it is already pwned, no need for this exploit.

It's funny how the government wanted a way to run unstoppable remote code. Everybody freaked out. Intel & AMD say they'll take it out. But now they're *both* (look up Blue Pill for AMDs) exposed as having undocumented opcodes that allow unstoppable remote control.

Free Hardware, look it up.

AMD then..

So my reading of this is that you need to be running privileged code anyway to be able to change the caching settings on the SMM area to attack it - but if you already have root then there are probably easier ways to break the system.

Dave

Any dates such as intel motherboards from this date forward are fixed? Is that true for intel chipsets used by numerous manufacturers?