Intel vPro CPUs can be Remotely Deactivated

No, this isn't some conspiracy, Intel-can-kill-your-PC-remotely
freakout. First, some background. vPro is meant for mid-performance,
high-security business computing. It includes some business features
that the standard Intel Core CPUs lack, and also contains some extra
security sauce for sensitive data. Otherwise, the vPro CPUs are
architecturally identical to their mainstream counterparts. One
interesting feature that vPro CPUs have, however, is to give the owner
the ability to deactivate their vPro CPU remotely through an SMS text.

So how does this work? Let's say a business laptop containing highly sensitive (hopefully encrypted) information is stolen. Said information is vital to a company, and if it falls into the wrong hands, could spell disaster for the company. So what does the owner do? He sends a special encrypted text message including a specified password to the laptop's number. The laptop then has a 3G modem, and when it recieves this SMS, becomes unbootable. Additionally, it also activates a 3G tracking device, meaning law enforcement can hunt down the stolen laptop wherever there is 3G service. In the event that the laptop is found and returned, the laptop can be reactivated by the same method by which it was deactivated. All in all, a very cool security feature. Source