Intel has found itself under scrutiny yet again, with Chinese officials and cybersecurity experts calling for a thorough review of the company’s products sold in China.
According to a report released by the China Cyber Association, Intel’s products have been repeatedly flagged for serious security vulnerabilities, poor reliability and even hidden backdoors that pose a threat to national security. The call for a cybersecurity review comes as Intel continues to profit significantly from the Chinese market, making nearly a quarter of its $50 billion in annual revenue from China alone, all while Intel takes actions that are perceived as harmful to China.
Let’s break down the accusations against Intel, starting with the repeated security vulnerabilities in its products. Intel’s CPUs have been exposed for various flaws, including the Downfall vulnerability in 2023, which allowed attackers to steal sensitive data from key registers in CPUs ranging from the 6th to 11th generations. Instead of taking prompt action to address these vulnerabilities, Intel reportedly dragged its feet, only taking measures after public exposure. This pattern of ignoring problems persisted with the Reptar vulnerability in 2023, where attackers could access sensitive information like PINs and even deny services to the host. It’s concerning that a company of Intel’s size and reputation would fail to address such glaring security risks until it’s too late. Meanwhile, users in China are understandably concerned about the safety of their information when using Intel........