--- title: Your motherboard has been running a second operating... description: Both Intel and AMD chips contain hidden, autonomous security subsystems—Intel's Management Engine (since 2008) and AMD's Platform Security Processor (since... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/your-motherboard-has-been-running-a-second-operating-system-this-whole-time-even-when-your-pc-is-of-aon1y9mfl twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Your motherboard has been running a second operating system this whole time, even when your PC is off | daily.dev og:description: Both Intel and AMD chips contain hidden, autonomous security subsystems—Intel's Management Engine (since 2008) and AMD's Platform Security Processor (since... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/your-motherboard-has-been-running-a-second-operating-system-this-whole-time-even-when-your-pc-is-of-aon1y9mfl og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/Aon1y9mFL.png og:image:alt: Your motherboard has been running a second operating system this whole time, even when your PC is off og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Your motherboard has been running a second operating system this whole time, even when your PC is off **[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 4 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Both Intel and AMD chips contain hidden, autonomous security subsystems—Intel's Management Engine (since 2008) and AMD's Platform Security Processor (since 2013)—that run their own closed-source operating systems with Ring -3 privilege, above the main OS and hypervisor. These processors initialize hardware before the main CPU boots and can remain active in a low-power state whenever the PSU is connected, even when the PC appears off. They enable enterprise remote management but have also been the source of recurring vulnerabilities, including cryptographic key leaks and System Management Mode exploits. Because their code is closed-source and unauditable, and because they're required for core boot functionality, they can't be fully disabled except on niche hardware like Purism laptops. Keeping firmware updated and Secure Boot enabled is the practical mitigation for most users. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the Intel Management Engine and why does it have so much access to my system? The Intel Management Engine (ME) is an autonomous subsystem embedded in the motherboard chipset since 2008, running its own closed-source operating system with Ring -3 access, above the main OS and hypervisor. It has direct access to system memory and the network adapter, stays active on trickle power even when the PC appears off, and exists mainly to support remote IT management and core boot functions. _Anyone weighing firmware security trade-offs can track hardware security research and patches on daily.dev._ ### Can I disable Intel ME or AMD PSP for better security? Not completely, because both are required to initialize the main x86 CPU cores and manage core boot functionality, so removing them breaks the machine. Niche vendors like Purism offer laptops with neutralized ME functionality, but for most users the realistic attack surface is small, and keeping firmware updated with Secure Boot enabled is the recommended alternative. _Developers evaluating hardware security posture can follow ongoing firmware vulnerability coverage on daily.dev._ ### What kinds of vulnerabilities have been found in Intel ME or AMD PSP? Researchers have discovered cryptographic key leaks, unauthorized access to System Management Mode (SMM), Secure Boot bypasses, and bootkit attacks tied to these subsystems, with new issues surfacing as recently as this year. Many of these were patched through UEFI firmware updates, though the closed-source nature of the code makes independent auditing impossible. _Staying on top of firmware CVEs and patch cycles is easier when tracked alongside daily.dev's security coverage._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [The Most Secure, Modern Computer Might Be A Mac](https://daily.dev/posts/the-most-secure-modern-computer-might-be-a-mac-nra07gbqx) · Hackaday · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [7 operating systems quietly running your house that nobody ever told you about](https://daily.dev/posts/7-operating-systems-quietly-running-your-house-that-nobody-ever-told-you-about-e2zpgxzxz) · XDA Developers · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Coreboot \+ AMD openSIL On MSI Ryzen Motherboard Now Works With Windows 11](https://daily.dev/posts/coreboot-amd-opensil-on-msi-ryzen-motherboard-now-works-with-windows-11-bmpxxye2l) · Phoronix · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Your Ryzen CPU used to encrypt your RAM. A firmware update silently turned that off.](https://daily.dev/posts/your-ryzen-cpu-used-to-encrypt-your-ram-a-firmware-update-silently-turned-that-off--vizheggv4) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Schneier on Security](https://daily.dev/posts/schneier-on-security-gtentyiez) · Schneier on Security · 2 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#firmware](https://daily.dev/tags/firmware) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/your-motherboard-has-been-running-a-second-operating-system-this-whole-time-even-when-your-pc-is-of-aon1y9mfl) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Your motherboard has been running a second operating system this whole time, even when your PC is off","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/your-motherboard-has-been-running-a-second-operating-system-this-whole-time-even-when-your-pc-is-of-aon1y9mfl","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/your-motherboard-has-been-running-a-second-operating-system-this-whole-time-even-when-your-pc-is-of-aon1y9mfl"},"datePublished":"2026-08-17T20:31:34.918Z","dateModified":"2026-09-14T08:49:53.538Z","description":"Both Intel and AMD chips contain hidden, autonomous security subsystems—Intel's Management Engine (since 2008) and AMD's Platform Security Processor (since...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/4f06e7c992b21af31d9f77943db4b332?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/4f06e7c992b21af31d9f77943db4b332?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"XDA Developers","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"XDA Developers","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--kCg6yyAP--/f_auto,q_auto/v1774964407/logos/xda-developers?_a=BAMAMiWQ0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/your-motherboard-has-been-running-a-second-operating-system-this-whole-time-even-when-your-pc-is-of-aon1y9mfl","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"security,firmware","timeRequired":"PT4M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"XDA Developers","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Your motherboard has been running a second operating system this whole time, even when your PC is off"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/your-motherboard-has-been-running-a-second-operating-system-this-whole-time-even-when-your-pc-is-of-aon1y9mfl#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the Intel Management Engine and why does it have so much access to my system?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"The Intel Management Engine (ME) is an autonomous subsystem embedded in the motherboard chipset since 2008, running its own closed-source operating system with Ring -3 access, above the main OS and hypervisor. It has direct access to system memory and the network adapter, stays active on trickle power even when the PC appears off, and exists mainly to support remote IT management and core boot functions. Anyone weighing firmware security trade-offs can track hardware security research and patches on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Can I disable Intel ME or AMD PSP for better security?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Not completely, because both are required to initialize the main x86 CPU cores and manage core boot functionality, so removing them breaks the machine. Niche vendors like Purism offer laptops with neutralized ME functionality, but for most users the realistic attack surface is small, and keeping firmware updated with Secure Boot enabled is the recommended alternative. 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