Intel's First x86 CPU Had Secret Instructions Meant to Catch IP Thievery
Intel's First x86 CPU Had Secret Instructions Meant to Catch IP Thievery
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Intel's First x86 CPU Had Secret Instructions Meant to Catch IP Thievery
Expensive transistors meant some security venues were left almost unguarded.
I've seen this kind of thing done on PCBs as well. Stick a useless component somewhere that does nothing (like a resistor with its terminals shorted together), and when you find a clone with your exact layout and your extra component there, then you can be sure it was straight up copypasted.
Cartographers will do this with small non-existent roads, too. They're called "trap streets"!