More than 20GB worth of Intel internal documents has been uploaded on Mega, and according to ZDNet, the chipmaker is now trying to ascertain how the files were leaked. A Swiss software engineer named Till Kottmann published the documents, most of which are marked “confidential.” He said he got it from a source who claims to have hacked the company sometime around May this year. Kottmann has history publishing data from major tech companies that was leaked online through various avenues, such as misconfigured Git repositories.
ZDNet looked through the files and found internal design information and source codes for various chipsets. They include BIOS reference codes and sample codes for Kaby Lake, as well as schematics, tools and firmware for the company’s upcoming Tiger Lake processors. Thankfully, the data dump doesn’t seem to include sensitive data about Intel customers and employees.
While Kottmann’s source claims to have breached an Intel server “hosted online by Akami CDN that wasn’t properly secure,” the company doesn’t believe it was hacked. Intel told ZDNet that the files may have been leaked by someone with access to its Resource and Design Center, a web portal it uses to give business partners access to non-public technical documents on its chipsets. The chipmaker told the publication that it’s investigating the situation. Its whole statement reads:
“We are investigating this situation. The information appears to come from the Intel Resource and Design Center, which hosts information for use by our customers, partners and other external parties who have registered for access. We believe an individual with access downloaded and shared this data.”