windwalker wrote:you seem to know about tech.
More than some, less than others.
windwalker wrote:If so then you should also understand the hardware in the chips
of pc's are also subject to monitoring by the companies that make them.
I'm sure the entire computing stack is compromised.
windwalker wrote:" Intel chips come with an embedded subsystem called the Management Engine (ME) that functions as a separate CPU and cannot be disabled, and the code is proprietary." http://www.techrepublic.com/article/is- ... -backdoor/
If you're asking my opinion on Intel ME, I think it unnecessarily increases the attack surface for no proven benefit. It's probably unusable in a lot of standardized security scenarios anyway, for example it can't possibly be PCI compliant. (PCI DSS is the security standard for protecting credit/debit card details)
windwalker wrote:Which is why Russia and China are now using their own home grown chips, and software for their Gov. agencies.
Probably very sensible. Intel has a vast sunk cost in semiconductor design and manufacture but it's well within the tech capability of both Russia and China to roll their own. Russia's had top software engineers for years, and China's got lots of chip fabs.