This book covers the effort of Intel to embed security technology in hardware. In detail, it introduces a tour of the embedded engine, exploring its internal architecture, security models and design details.
The book explains how this management engine is made of hardware and firmware and how those components cooperate via cryptography.
The content is light. It is technical content although it doesn’t go in depth details (structures, sizes, code and so on) It is a good overview to understand the Intel proposition in this arena and the marketing jargon used.
I found interesting the way how this technology had to pivot from networking to security use cases. Intel didn’t start from scratch this technology. I can imagine how Intel engineers reused the original design to extend functionality and how the marketing department adapted the commercial message. The author mentions how the same technology was marketed with different names in different products.
The part of the book where the author comment on rootkits, and how the engine was under attack, is a good counterpoint to understand the weak points and how hackers broke this technology in 2009.
Digital Rights Management (DRM) is covered in the book too. This part shows the way how hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders, and individuals could use this technology with the intent to control the use of digital content and devices after sale.
You will find in this book an effortless, readable and clear writing style. It doesn’t cover anything in depth detail but is good enough to catch an overview of this technology.
I found this book available here:
The next technical review 