Intel design flaw hidden for 20 years
 

A design flaw in the x86 processor architecture which is almost 20 years old allows hackers to install a rootkit in the low-level firmware of computers.

Christopher Domas, a security researcher with the Battelle Memorial Institute warned that such malware could be undetectable by security products.

The vulnerability stems from a feature first added to the x86 architecture in 1997 and enables hackers to install a rootkit in the processors System Management Mode (SMM). For those who came in late this is a protected region of code that underpins all the firmware security features in modern computers.

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