2019 Hardware Thread

Cliff S said:

Beware if you update ME firmware there is no way to go back, but you are SA-00086 protected :
Attachment 231409

Ran that tool and I am already patched for Intel SA 00086 without installing the new ME firmware...

Kol12 said:

Ran that tool and I am already patched for Intel SA 00086 without installing the new ME firmware...

Yep, same here

Polo6RGTI said:

I made a batch script to check for WHEA errors when running Cinebench to test a lower set Vcore.

Usage instructions:
- Place the script in the root folder of the Cinebench.exe.
- When opening the script it will automatically also open Cinebench.
- Then manually run the Cinebench multi core CPU test. The script will continue to run in the background, if WHEA error logs are detected the script will automatically close Cinebench.
Attachment 231404
Attachment 231405

Code:

@echo off
:: Cinebench WHEA Errors Test Script V1
:: Author: Hendrik Vermaak
:: Date: 22 April 2019
color 02
for /F "eol= delims=~" %%d in ('CD') do set curpath=%%d
pushd %curpath%
echo.
if exist "%curpath%\Cinebench.exe" ( 
goto begintest ) else ( goto nobench ) >nul
:begintest
start "" /belownormal "%curpath%\CINEBENCH.exe"
:checkwhea
cls
echo.
echo ============ Cinebench WHEA Errors Test Script ============
echo.
wevtutil qe system | findstr /C:"WHEA-Logger" >nul 2>&1
if '%errorlevel%' NEQ '0' ( 
echo No WHEA error event logs found... 
goto notfound 
) else ( goto found ) 
:notfound
tasklist | find /i "Cinebench.exe" >nul
if '%errorlevel%' NEQ '0' ( 
goto teststopped
)
timeout 2 >nul
goto checkwhea
:found
taskkill /im "Cinebench.exe" /F >nul
echo  ! ! ! ! ! WHEA ERROR EVENT LOG/S FOUND ! ! ! ! !
:teststopped
echo.
echo TEST STOPPED
goto end
:nobench
echo Cinebench.exe not found.
:end
echo.
echo.
echo Press any key to exit...
pause >nul
exit

That's very cool Polo. Thanks!

Kol12 said:

That's very cool Polo. Thanks!

It's a pleasure .

essenbe said:

Yep, same here

Since when did Intel ME have vulnerabilities anyway? News to me.

Kol12 said:

Since when did Intel ME have vulnerabilities anyway? News to me.

You're answer can be found here: Intel Management Engine - Wikipedia

The important parts:

The Intel Management Engine (ME), also known as the Manageability Engine,[1][2] is an autonomous subsystem that has been incorporated in virtually all of Intel's processor chipsets since 2008.[3][4][1] It is located in the Platform Controller Hub of modern Intel motherboards. It is a part of Intel Active Management Technology, which allows system administrators to perform tasks on the machine remotely[5]. System administrators can use it to turn the computer on and off, and they can login remotely into the computer regardless of whether or not an operating system is installed.[6]

The Intel Management Engine always runs as long as the motherboard is receiving power, even when the computer is turned off.

The IME is an attractive target for hackers, since it has top level access to all devices and completely bypasses the operating system. Intel has not released much information on the Intel Management Engine, prompting speculation that it may include a backdoor. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has voiced concern about IME.

Disabling the ME[edit]

It is normally not possible for the user to disable the ME. Potentially risky, undocumented methods to do so were discovered, however.^[39] These methods are not supported by Intel. The ME's security architecture is supposed to prevent disabling, and thus its possibility is considered a security vulnerability. For example, a virus could abuse it to make the computer lose some of the functionality that the typical end-user expects, such as the ability to play media with DRM. Yet, critics consider the weaknesses not as bugs, but as features.
Strictly speaking, none of the known methods disables the ME completely, since it is required for booting the main CPU. All known methods merely make the ME go into abnormal states soon after boot, in which it seems not to have any working functionality. The ME is still physically connected to the current and its microprocessor is continuing to execute code.

Cliff S said:

You're answer can be found here: Intel Management Engine - Wikipedia

The important parts:

What sort of tasks might an administrator perform remotely with this tool and who needs to use it?

Cliff S said:

For Maximus X/XI & Strix Motherboards (Z370/Z390)
New version of Intel Management Engine (ME) Consumer Firmware has just been released : [FIRMWARE] Intel ME (Z170/Z270/Z370) - Page 4

- Intel Management Engine Consumer Firmware - Last version [01/04/2019] :
----Firmware : 11.8.65.3590

--------Check current version process : Launch "Check.cmd" (Right click > Run as administrator)

--------Install/Update process : Launch "Install.cmd" (Right click > Run as administrator) > ... Processing ... > Automatic restart of your PC at the end

This is not official on the Asus motherboard downloads page is?

Kol12 said:

This is not official on the Asus motherboard downloads page is?

It's not on the motherboard downloads page, but the drivers that MoKiChU posts, are official ones from the OEMs, with ROG software libraries infused.