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Apparently, the OpenCL library for AMD GPUs contains a string named "osTestBackdoorATI". Great job, AMD engineers!

This discovered by @hashcat, of oclHashCat fame, and picked up by Phoronix.

It will be interesting to see how their PR department will try to spin this over the next few days.

I highly doubt it's an honest-to-goodness backdoor... or if it is, then AMD did a crappy job of hiding it

I think until someone figures out what it means or AMD answers, I think it's pretty meaningless.

BlackStar wrote:

It will be interesting to see how their PR department will try to spin this over the next few days.

More importantly, will anyone believe them? Let me put on my tinfoil hat for a second, could it be that bitcoin/litecoin that is spurring on the sales of AMD cards working hand in hand with the NSA's need of massive decryption via a back door? If something further comes of light because of this, it could potentially send the bitcoin/litecoin markets crashing.

chuckula wrote:

.. or if it is, then AMD did a crappy job of hiding it

And this would surprise you?

Deanjo wrote:

chuckula wrote:

.. or if it is, then AMD did a crappy job of hiding it

And this would surprise you?

Considering how non-existent their Mantle documentation is, I think that AMD is first-rate at hiding stuff and this would be a very out-of-character move to fail in obfuscating their backdoor technology

chuckula wrote:

Considering how non-existent their Mantle documentation is, I think that AMD is first-rate at hiding stuff and this would be a very out-of-character move to fail in obfuscating their backdoor technology

They've already said the Mantle SDK won't be ready for wide release for some time. I don't think they're hiding it because they want to.

Savyg wrote:

chuckula wrote:

Considering how non-existent their Mantle documentation is, I think that AMD is first-rate at hiding stuff and this would be a very out-of-character move to fail in obfuscating their backdoor technology

They've already said the Mantle SDK won't be ready for wide release for some time. I don't think they're hiding it because they want to.

I'll bet the API is finalized or in a near state since they are supposedly already developing with it. If they were serious about releasing it they would have released at least that to allow others to develop their implementation.

In short, don't hold your breath for AMD truly opening up Mantle.

I expect that by year end we will see the api in some form released.
But there is no point in releasing an finished spec to the general public today.

sschaem wrote:

But there is no point in releasing an finished spec to the general public today.

Completely disagree. Releasing a public spec gives the opportunity to others to work on their implementation. If they released it publicly you would see the first commits to existing driver infrastructure in probably a matter of weeks in *nixland.

Deanjo wrote:

Savyg wrote:

chuckula wrote:

Considering how non-existent their Mantle documentation is, I think that AMD is first-rate at hiding stuff and this would be a very out-of-character move to fail in obfuscating their backdoor technology

They've already said the Mantle SDK won't be ready for wide release for some time. I don't think they're hiding it because they want to.

I'll bet the API is finalized or in a near state since they are supposedly already developing with it.

The rumour mill seems to be pointing towards a Mantle update being released for BF4 in the next couple of months.
Mantle will be enabled at the driver level with Catalyst 14.1 BETA which will be released son.

http://wccftech.com/amd-catalyst-14-1-b ... gpus-apus/

BlackStar wrote:

Apparently, the OpenCL library for AMD GPUs contains a string named "osTestBackdoorATI". Great job, AMD engineers!

This discovered by @hashcat, of oclHashCat fame, and picked up by Phoronix.

It will be interesting to see how their PR department will try to spin this over the next few days.

Spin what? All we know at this point is that the string "osTestBackdoorATI" appears. It could be nothing more than a testing tool for their development team. My guess is that if they were putting an actual back door in the sense that you mean, they'd give it a less conspicuous name...

Prestige Worldwide wrote:

The rumour mill seems to be pointing towards a Mantle update being released for BF4 in the next couple of months.
Mantle will be enabled at the driver level with Catalyst 14.1 BETA which will be released son.

http://wccftech.com/amd-catalyst-14-1-b ... gpus-apus/

And that has what to do with AMD delivering an open API?

According to Graham Sellers of AMD (who I understand is their OpenGL driver team lead):

Graham Sellers wrote:

osTestBackdoorATI is a hook used by our automated tests to access memory usage statistics from the driver.

Source: http://twitter.com/statuses/422826826956673024
Seriously this is a ridiculous storm-in-a-teacup over nothing.

It's the internet, the place where teacupstorms are worse then any real storm that ever existed...

if there was a backdoor, it definitely would not be called "backdoor"

codedivine wrote:

According to Graham Sellers of AMD (who I understand is their OpenGL driver team lead):

Graham Sellers wrote:

osTestBackdoorATI is a hook used by our automated tests to access memory usage statistics from the driver.

Source: http://twitter.com/statuses/422826826956673024
Seriously this is a ridiculous storm-in-a-teacup over nothing.

Like they would admit otherwise. Besides, that statement just points out one possible use. It's like asking a person why they have a gun, "I like to shoot skeet". It doesn't discount the possibility of darker uses.

I once put a method on an object in a major, shipping piece of software called "TopSecretBackdoorSecurityHack" or something like that.

When you called it, it returned a great big blob of text with the names of all the people who worked on the release. It was dangerous...

It is not uncommon to refer to an unpublished/undocumented interface as a "back door". Most complex pieces of software (and a Windows display driver defintely qualifies!) will have some form of undocumented interfaces in them to facilitate testing and debugging. No nefarious intent is implied just because it is called a "back door".

In fact, pretty much the only times I would expect to see a complex system *without* unpublished development/test hooks of some sort would be for safety (or security) critical systems, where you've got to prove to the satisfaction of someone (like the FAA) that the software does exactly what its specifications state, no more and no less.

Deanjo wrote:

Prestige Worldwide wrote:

The rumour mill seems to be pointing towards a Mantle update being released for BF4 in the next couple of months.
Mantle will be enabled at the driver level with Catalyst 14.1 BETA which will be released son.

http://wccftech.com/amd-catalyst-14-1-b ... gpus-apus/

And that has what to do with AMD delivering an open API?

Nothing at all. I was just supporting your statement that Mantle is probably done or near-done.

just brew it! wrote:

It is not uncommon to refer to an unpublished/undocumented interface as a "back door". Most complex pieces of software (and a Windows display driver defintely qualifies!) will have some form of undocumented interfaces in them to facilitate testing and debugging. No nefarious intent is implied just because it is called a "back door".

^ This
Just like a whole lot of other computer lingo, the etymology of certain words can hide quite a few different meanings compared to the current common use. Just look at the good old word hacking for another example. Although back door has probably retained much of it's meaning except that the context of usage has changed as to bring more nefarious associations to the fore.

Dont you all get it? It`s so obvious.... If you change two letters in AMD and move one, you get NSA!!! Whole company is just a cover for top secret government operation!

dodozoid wrote:

Dont you all get it? It`s so obvious.... If you change two letters in AMD and move one, you get NSA!!! Whole company is just a cover for top secret government operation!

I for one have started taking the precaution of wrapping my AMD graphics cards in tin foil.

dodozoid wrote:

Dont you all get it? It`s so obvious.... If you change two letters in AMD and move one, you get 3!!!

Half-Life 3 confirmed!

chuckula wrote:

.....then AMD did a crappy job of hiding it

Such a crappy job that even you didnt find it.

cheesyking wrote:

I for one have started taking the precaution of wrapping my AMD graphics cards in tin foil.

When Mantle is released the documentation will include this step. As a side effect you will gain 2.1% FPS in all games made before 2010 and have a negative return of about 3.7% for all current gen games. But the chip will run cooler as an added bonus.

Not recomended, wrapping your graphics cards in tinfoil will result in higher temperatures, and reduced framerates.
However it will protect you against harmful mind control radiation It is a trade off most of us are willing to make.

Dagwood wrote:

Not recomended, wrapping your graphics cards in tinfoil will result in higher temperatures, and reduced framerates.

That's exactly what "they" want you to believe will happen.

Dagwood wrote:

Not recomended, wrapping your graphics cards in tinfoil will result in higher temperatures, and reduced framerates.
However it will protect you against harmful mind control radiation It is a trade off most of us are willing to make.

NSA shill plz go