Intel proudly shows off snooping tech

IN A LAUDABLE effort to make life much, much easier for IT managers, Intel outlined how it intends to widen the scope of its Active Management Technology (AMT).

AMT can effectively snoop on what's inside your PC.

The principle is simple. Details about a VPro or Centrino based PC are saved into non-volatile memory. But, scarily, this information can be read even if the machine's power switch is in the 'off' position.

Armed with such information an IT manager might want to remotely fix a PC. This can be done using Intel's Trusted Execution Technology (formerly known as La Grande).

Just how powerful this facility can be, was shown in a demo where a connected laptop was rebooted and its BIOS edited from a management console.

Good stuff. But Intel intends this capability to work over wireless networks not just wired (ie fixed Ethernet) links.

Obviously Intel claims this kind of stuff is mega secure. But what if it were hacked? Or what if they hacked it?

You could potentially be woken up in the middle of the night by the sounds of somebody completely reconfiguring your laptop. µ