Intel has released a patch for its series of silicon-based security
protections after researchers from Poland identified flaws that allowed them to
completely bypass the extensions.
The implementation errors in Intel's TXT, or trusted execution technology,
mean the feature can't be counted on as advertised to protect sensitive files
and prevent systems from booting operating systems that have been tampered with.
The vulnerability affects the Q35, GM45, PM45 Express, Q45, and Q43 Express
chipsets.
"We again showed that an attacker can compromise the integrity of a software
loaded via an Intel TXT-based loader in a generic way, fully circumventing any
protection TXT is supposed to provide," researchers with the Invisible Things
Lab stated in a
press release (PDF) issued Monday.
