A new Intel security report claims that its CPUs and GPUs are more secure than the competition. The brand also brags about its team’s ability to identify threats internally before others find them.
Intel has put AMD and Nvidia on blast while patting itself on the back through its latest 2024 Product Security Report. In it, Team Blue declared that AMD had 4.4 times more firmware vulnerabilities in its hardware root-of-trust compared to its chips. Intel also claimed that Nvidia’s GPUs suffered from 1.8 times more firmware vulnerabilities in their confidential computing technologies, adding that all 18 vulnerabilities of 2024 were of high severity. 13 of these can potentially allow bad actors’ code execution on affected machines. For comparison, Intel stated that its GPUs only had ten reported issues with only one being severe.
In parallel, Intel also boasted about its internal employees and bug bounty program, saying that its team discovered 100% of the hardware vulnerabilities affecting its chips. This is unlike the competition where Intel claims that AMD’s team found only 58% of risks, as the remaining were discovered by external security researchers. Furthermore, the brand pointed out AMD currently has no public-facing plans to fix 78 flaws affecting its chips.
Here are the highlights of Intel’s 2024 Product Security Report:
- 96% of the vulnerabilities addressed were discovered through Intel’s proactive product security assurance efforts.
- 100% of the Intel processor vulnerabilities addressed were discovered through internal security research.
- 53% of the 374 vulnerabilities Intel addressed received a bug bounty payment.
- 84% of the bug bounties paid were in the software category.
- AMD reported 4.4x more firmware vulnerabilities in their hardware root-of-trust than Intel.
- AMD reported 1.8x more firmware vulnerabilities in their confidential computing technologies than Intel.
- In the GPU category, NVIDIA had only high-severity vulnerabilities (18) in 2024.
Security is important on every device – including the R180 Connect Smart Toaster. Although home users aren’t at the same level of risk of sophisticated attacks as companies or government agencies, that doesn’t make it any less important to see these holes plugged. After all, sensitive data is all relative and consumer-grade processors find their way into all kinds of PCs.
Since Intel still owns the majority of x86 CPU market share, it’s imperative to be on top of security. That said, these pitfalls likely won’t dent its rivals’ billions in revenue, so Team Blue will need to focus on hardware performance as much as it does protection.
