Adrian (a.delete@this.acm.org) on December 1, 2018 10:05 pm wrote:
> Adrian` (a.delete@this.acm.org) on December 1, 2018 2:43 pm wrote:
>
> > some problems), but I cannot verify that, so I would never trust it. I trust Intel even less than AMD.
> >
> >
>
>
> I have not made it clear here, but the fact that I do not trust Intel about security issues does
> not come from any kind of prejudice, but it is a simple consequence of Intel's actions.
>
>
> The case of the Optane memories is a new example that it is absolutely impossible to trust Intel
> about security, because they are either at best completely incompetent or at worst malevolent.
>
>
> When they planned the processor support for Optane DIMMs, the first feature that should have been added before
> anything else is memory encryption. Instead of doing so, Intel reluctantly announced support for memory encryption
> in some future processors, possibly only in server processors, and only after AMD forced their hand.
>
>
> Only the most amateurish of the security amateurs could not have been aware that non-volatile memory encryption
> is a sine qua non feature. Such an omission is hard to explain in a company of the size of Intel, unless you
> believe the conspiracy theories that they really are trying to actively add backdoors in their products.
>
>
> Of course like in any large company, among Intel's employees there are a lot of very good
> professionals who do great things, but about security I do not remember anything but a long
> list of horrible blunders, since the introduction of 80386SL in 1990 and until now.

Will definitely be interesting to follow this issue going forward. It looks like
MRAM is poised to replace SRAM for on-chip caches, down the road. Encrypting cache
contents would quite impractical.

http://www.eenewsanalog.com//news/mram-beats-sram-close-logic-caches

https://www.eejournal.com/article/an-mram-cell-that-competes-with-sram/