AMD chips are also vulnerable, at least in theory
A feature introduced in 1997 in the architecture of x86 chips can now be abused by attackers to install a firmware rootkit, make hardware modifications, or even take actions that lead to system destruction.
The feature, System Management Mode (SMM), was introduced 18 years ago and works in the deepest levels of the x86 architecture, allowing any hacker that abuses it to gain access to a wide variety of further attack points.
Computer security expert Christopher Domas, working for the Battelle Memorial Institute, has uncovered this vulnerability, and tested it on Intel x86 processors, but AMD chips should also be vulnerable, at least in theory.
Mr. Domas claims that 40 years of evolution have made x86 chip architectures a maze of forgotten security backdoors.
