If you are familiar with Linux you will know the operating system MINIX, an operating system that could go unnoticed if it weren't for a Google software engineer discovered that it is present in some places that you would not expect. It turns out that the system is implemented inside millions of machines that use Intel microprocessors. As you know, the chipsets for these microprocessors include ME (Management Engine), a chip for management in which one of the pieces known and criticized by security experts such as AMT (Active Management Technology) is integrated.
These systems contain underlying security concerns and some vulnerabilities that have been cited in the networks, and now since the Embedded Linux Conference in Europe, it is also known that these Intel systems that have AMT work running MINIX. Yes, they work thanks to the operating system created by Andrew S. Tanenbaum on which Linus Torvalds initially relied on to create Linux and fix some of the deficiencies and dislikes in Professor Tanenbaum's system.
The chip includes a variation of closed code of the open source version of MINIX 3. We do not know exactly the version or information about what it actually does as it is a proprietary project, but thanks to these researchers we have been able to know this data. And what about the competition (AMD)? Well, the truth is that AMD has included its own code that is not completely open in its Ryzen microprocessors to control some security aspects of the platform, but little is known about it.
The news would pass as a simple anecdote, were it not for the security problems and criticism of this Intel system that it has had. In addition, it is rare that MINIX is implemented in this type of chip instead of Linux, although the reason seems obvious, and it is that Linux license it would not allow creating a closed source derivative.
And the people of Intel have not said anything about it ...?