Anti-Theft 3.0: Remote kill switch on new Intel processors with vPro
According to this report, the next batch of vPro-enabled Intel Core processors (the Sandy Bridge processors that are set to come out in 2011) will allow users to disable the processor remotely over 3G, even when the computer is turned off or unplugged from the network. It's designed as an anti-theft measure, and you can even reverse it over 3G too - but there are definite security implications. Read more here:
http://isc.sans.edu/diary.html?storyid=10111&rss