>An F-Secure security researcher has found a way to use Intel's Active Management Technology (AMT) to bypass BIOS passwords, BitLocker credentials, and TPM pins and gain access to previously-secured corporate computers.
>He says a malicious actor with access to the device can press CTRL+P during the boot-up process and select the Intel Management Engine BIOS Extension (MEBx) for the boot-up routine, effectively bypassing any previous BIOS, BitLocker, or TPM logins.
>A MEBx password is required, but Sintonen says that in most cases companies do not change the default, which is "admin."
>The attacker then may change the default password, enable remote access and set AMT’s user opt-in to “None.” The attacker can now gain remote access to the system from both wireless and wired networks, as long as they’re able to insert themselves onto the same network segment with the victim. Access to the device may also be possible from outside the local network via an attacker-operated CIRA server.
Only laptops and computers on which Intel AMT has been provisioned (configured) are vulnerable, according to F-Secure security researcher Harry Sintonen, the one who claims to have discovered the issue last July.
