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

[John Ioannidis]

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

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