cryptography  

Just update the microcode (was: Re: defending against evil in all layers of hardware and software)

John Ioannidis
Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:46:44 -0700

Intel and AMD processors can have new microcode loaded to them, and this is usually done by the BIOS. Presumably there is some asymmetric crypto involved with the processor doing the signature validation.

A major power that makes a good fraction of the world's laptops and desktops (and hence controls the circuitry and the BIOS, even if they do not control the chip manufacturing process) would be in a good place to introduce problems that way, no?

/ji

---------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cryptography Mailing List
Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]