China cyber pros say Intel is installing CPU backdoors on behalf of NSA

Microchip on a motherboard with Flag of China and USA. Concept for the battle of global microchips production.

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Hot on the heels of China’s accusations that Volt Typhoon is actually a CIA asset, a group of cybersecurity experts from the Cyber Security Association of China (CSAC) have now claimed Intel products sold in China contain “frequent vulnerabilities and high failure rates.”

CSAC also said Intel products present “serious risks to national security,” alleging the US semiconductor manufacturers installed an NSA backdoor “in almost all” of its central processing units (CPU) since 2008 to create a “next-generation security defense system.”

“This poses a huge security threat to the critical information infrastructure of countries around the world, including China,” CSAC said as part of its accusations on the organization’s WeChat account.

Push to open investigation

The US and China have frequently thrown similar allegations at each other, with US lawmakers recently pushing for greater restrictions to be placed on suppliers passing US advanced chip manufacturing equipment on to Huawei, which the US placed on its entity list in 2019, restricting businesses from trading with the Shenzhen headquartered technology company.

China has also been accused of infiltrating US critical infrastructure to establish a list of targets to strike in the event that war breaks out between the two superpowers. UK government ministers also stated this week Chinese state sponsored threat actors may already have access to UK critical infrastructure.

In a statement posted to WeChat, Intel’s China unit said, “We will maintain communication with the relevant authorities, clarify any concerns, and reaffirm our commitment to product safety and quality” (Via Reuters).

CSAC has also requested the Cyberspace Administration of China launch an investigation into Intel products sold in China for vulnerabilities and backdoors “to effectively safeguard China's national security.”

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Benedict has been writing about security issues for close to 5 years, at first covering geopolitics and international relations while at the University of Buckingham. During this time he studied BA Politics with Journalism, for which he received a second-class honours (upper division). Benedict then continued his studies at a postgraduate level and achieved a distinction in MA Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy. Benedict transitioned his security interests towards cybersecurity upon joining TechRadar Pro as a Staff Writer, focusing on state-sponsored threat actors, malware, social engineering, and national security. Benedict is also an expert on B2B security products, including firewalls, antivirus, endpoint security, and password management.