Intel is investigating reports that a hacker has leaked 20GB of data from the chip giant online, which appears to be related to source code, documents and developer tools. An Intel spokesperson said the files may have been leaked by someone with access to the Resource and Design Center, an online portal the company uses to give business partners access to non-public technical documents for chipsets . The spokesperson added that there is evidence that an individual gained access to the information and then downloaded and leaked the data.
A Swiss software engineer named Till Kottmann published the documents, most of which are considered “confidential,” saying he got the material from a source who claims to have breached the company in May, while also noting that more details on the matter will be published soon. The information contained in the leak relates to Intel’s technology patents and chipsets, including technical specifications, product guides, and internal manuals. Specifically, the data contained in the leak includes the following:
- Intel ME Bringup guides + (flash) tools + samples for various platforms
- Kabylake (Purley Platform) BIOS Reference Codes and Sample Codes for Kaby Lake
- Intel CEFDK (Consumer Electronics Firmware Development Kit (Bootloader stuff)) sources
- Silicon/FSP source code packages for various platforms
- Various Intel development and debugging tools
- Simics simulation for Rocket Lake S and possibly other platforms
- Various roadmaps and other documents
- Binaries for camera drivers created by Intel for the space company SpaceX.
- Schematics, tools, and firmware for the company's upcoming Tiger Lake processors.
- Kabylake FDK training videos
- Intel Marketing Material Templates (InDesign)
The good news is that the leak does not directly affect any customers or users of Intel processors. However, the fact that hackers have access to special processor functions and BIOS programming code could be used for even more serious attacksfuture. Intel said in a statement that it is investigating the case and recognizes that much of the technologically sensitive data is currently in the wrong hands.
Finally, it's worth noting that the same individual previously leaked source code from dozens of companies, including Microsoft, Adobe, Johnson Controls, GE, AMD, Lenovo, Motorola, Qualcomm, Mediatek, Disney, Daimler, Roblox, and Nintendo, with multiple reports pointing out that most of the information came from misconfigured or exposed DevOps infrastructure.
