Purism's quest against Intel's Management Engine black box CPU now comes in 14 inches
- Reference: 1593702909
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/07/02/purism_librem_14/
- Source link:
This latest device succeeds the previous Librem 13 laptop, which ran for four generations, and includes a slightly bigger display, a hexa-core Ice Lake Intel Core i7 processor, gigabit Ethernet, and USB-C. As the name implies, the Librem 14 packs a 14-inch, 1920x1080 IPS display. Purism said this comes without increasing the laptop's dimensions thanks to smaller bezels. You can find the full specs [1]here .
[2]
Click to enlarge
Crucially, it is loaded the usual privacy features found in Purism's kit such as hardware kill switches that disconnect the microphone and webcam from the laptop's circuitry. It also comes with the firm's PureBoot tech, which includes Purism's in-house CoreBoot BIOS replacement, and a mostly excised Intel Management Engine (IME).
The IME is a hidden coprocessor included in most of Chipzilla's chipsets since 2008. It allows system administrators to remotely manage devices using out-of-band communications. But it's also controversial in the security community since it's somewhat of a black box.
How to build a totally open computer from the CPU to the desktop [3]READ MORE
There is little by way of public documentation. Intel hasn't released the source code. And, to add insult to injury, it's also [4]proven vulnerable to exploitation in the past.
In May 2017, the Electronic Frontier Foundation [5]described the Intel Management Engine as a "security hazard", saying: "The design choice of putting a secretive, unmodifiable management chip in every computer was terrible, and leaving their customers exposed to these risks without an opt-out is an act of extreme irresponsibility."
[6]
Put simply: it's a computer within your computer that you can't fully control nor easily remove or disable. And while there are ways to wipe out much of its functionality, no manufacturers we know of, save for Purism, sell machines with it [7]mostly deactivated by default.
Pre-orders for the Librem 14 opened today priced at $1,199. We guess you can put a price on privacy. ®
Specs Processor: Core i7-10710U (Comet Lake)
Display: 14″ matte (1920×1080)
Battery Life: Roughly 7 to 9 hours
Graphics: Intel UHD graphics
Memory: Up to 32GB, DDR4 at 2133 MHz
Storage: 2.5″ SATA + NVMe-capable M.2 slots
Video: 1 HDMI port (4K capable @60Hz max) USB Type-C video out (4K)
USB ports: Two USB Type-A 3.1 ports, one USB Type-C 3.1 port
Audio: 3.5mm audioJack (mic-in & headphone-out combo)
Networking: Gigabit Ethernet adapter with integrated RJ45 Connector Atheros 802.11n w/ 2 antennas
Power: 1 power button, DC-IN Jack USB-C power delivery port
Dimensions: Width 322mm, height 17mm, length 220mm, weight 1.4kg
Get our [8]Tech Resources
[1] https://puri.sm/products/librem-14/
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/07/01/librem14-top-1.jpg
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2015/10/28/novena_the_open_computer/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2017/08/29/intel_management_engine_can_be_disabled/
[5] https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/05/intels-management-engine-security-hazard-and-users-need-way-disable-it
[6] https://regmedia.co.uk/2020/07/01/librem14b.jpg
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Management_Engine#Disabling_the_ME
[8] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
"have"
like in "have an upvote" :)
Why Intel?
If they really are as fussed about all that as they say they are, why do they still insist on using Intel then? It’s not like alternatives don’t exist.
How can you trust the changes they have made themselves; have the products had full security audits with publicly available results?
Or is it all more of a marketing thing?
Re: Why Intel?
AMD chips have something very similar but with a different name (PSP).
They could go ARM but it's still very early days for Linux on ARM, Linus Torvalds was talking about it recently and hopes the new ARM Macs will help there.
Re: Why Intel?
Linux has run on ARM for more than 20 years now
https://www.debian.org/News/1998/19980826b
The ARM platform itself seems quite fragmented so I guess it is still a very fast moving target vs x86 which has had more standard interfaces almost forever.
(Debian user since 1998)
Assertions that ME is a backdoor
The ME has full access to memory (without the owner-controlled CPU cores having any knowledge); has full access to the TCP/IP stack and can send and receive network packets independently of the operating system, thus bypassing its firewall
In the context of criticism of the Intel ME and AMD Secure Technology it has been pointed out that the NSA budget request for 2013 contained a Sigint Enabling Project with the goal to "Insert vulnerabilities into commercial encryption systems, IT systems, …" and it has been conjectured that Intel ME and AMD Secure Technology might be part of that programme.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Management_Engine
The Feds have been watching all along.
Security safety guy: "Surely you can't put a price on your families' privacy"
Homer: "You would of thought so but here we are"