What is intel management engine and what is it for?

Intel Management Engine is a microcontroller built into some Intel chipsets for the motherboards of its microprocessors. This microcontroller is responsible for running a very basic lightweight micro-core operating system, which offers a variety of features and services for Intel processor- based systems.

What is the Intel Management Engine and how it works

Intel Management Engine loads its code from the flash memory of the motherboard before the operating system has loaded, which means that it starts to work practically from the moment you press the power button on your PC. To ensure proper operation, the Intel Management Engine has access to a restricted area of ​​system memory, as well as a small amount of cache memory, ensuring that it can operate completely independently of the operating system.

Another feature of Intel Management Engine focused on ensuring its operation as soon as possible, is that its power consumption status is independent of the processor and the rest of the system. This means that the Intel Management Engine remains fully operational even when the entire computer is in a very deep sleep state. This feature allows you to respond to OOB commands from the IT Administration Console without having to activate the rest of the system. Therefore, energy consumption is greatly reduced.

Is the Intel Management Engine secure?

As a consequence of all the above, Intel Management Engine is capable of accessing any memory region without the system CPU knowing about it, it is even capable of running a TCP / IP server on the network interface and managing the input and output of packages bypassing security measures such as firewalls. This poses a great potential danger to cyberattacks as they could exploit an Intel Management Engine vulnerability to gain control of the computer without the user or the PC itself being able to do anything to prevent it.

Currently, the Intel Management Engine firmware is protected by RSA 2048 encryption, the most secure encryption that is inviolable for cybercriminals, although the great danger is not knowing if this protection will one day be inviolable. Experts have proposed creating alternative Open Source firmware that is auditable by experts to ensure user safety. For now, all we can do is trust that if a vulnerability is found in the Intel Management Engine, it will not be misused.

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