Intel ME and AMD PSP: The silicon layer nobody certifies
About cloud sovereignty and the often-ignored and unknown on-CPU management engine running below the OS and BIOS.
The article is quite long; it explains how CPUs run firmware that can include remote management over the network, and can be running even when the OS is not. They can be vulnerable to supply chain attacks and firmware replacements. Because it’s on hardware, the firmware with open security vulnerabilities is often not updated.
Regarding cloud, the French SecNumCloud is a framework for cloud infrastructure security requirements. It doesn’t cover these hardware attack vectors specifically but may mitigate risks through surrounding practices and isolation.
In conclusion, even a cloud provider that meets SecNumCloud must be asked whether and how they manage CPU management engine attack vectors.
So, Ignoring security for a moment, it makes remote resolution of severe machine issues much easier. It is great for IT, it even allows remote OS reinstall.
Now, considering security issues and the lack of parity between AIs ability to attack and defend (better at breaking than fixing) it is sure to become a huge vulnerability, IMO.