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System76 disables Intel ME

by on01 December 2017


One too many security issues

System76 says it is rolling out a firmware update for its new Linux laptops which disables the Intel Management Engine.

The decision comes after a major security vulnerability was discovered that would allow an attacker with local access to execute arbitrary code.

The System76 announcement is interesting because it shows that PC makers are not that happy with Intel’s ME. System76 never wants to see ME on its machines again.

The company will send out an update that disables it on existing computers with 6th, 7th, or 8th-gen Intel Core processors.

System76 also notes that Intel ME "provides no functionality for System76 laptop customers and is safe to disable."

The firmware update will only be available for computers running Ubuntu 16.04 or later or a related operating system with the System76 driver.

But the company says it's working on developing a command line tool that should work on laptops running other GNU/Linux-based operating systems.

System76 says it will also release an update for its desktop computers... but on those machines the update will patch the security vulnerability rather than disabling Intel ME altogether.

Last modified on 01 December 2017
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