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Intel hardware contains previously unknown flaw making it possible to steal computers' data

Daily Mail - Science & tech

A recently discovered vulnerability baked inside Intel hardware allows hackers to intercept important data inside one's computer, say security experts. The flaw, discovered by the security firm, Positive Technologies, was revealed late last month at a Black Hat conference in Singapore and shows how bad actors can exploit a feature called the The Visualization of Internal Signals Architecture (VISA) to scrape a computer's memory for sensitive data. By gaining access to VISA, which is used to test chips before they're released to the public, hackers can leverage the system to monitor information happening inside a machine's controller hub -- a set of computer chips that controls aspects of the CPU and more -- say analysts at Positive Technologies. According to security experts, an Intel chipset flaw allows hackers to scrape your computers most important information. 'We found out that it is possible to access Intel VISA on ordinary motherboards, with no specific equipment needed,' said Positive Technologies expert, Maxim Goryachy, in a statement.