@djsumdog >I wonder if that's from the ME chip itself, or if it's from the chipset drivers ... it would almost certainly have to be the chipset drivers if connecting to localhost
The ME runs MINIX and contains a web server as well as remote control functionality and even the ability to rewrite the storage medium when the computer is meant to be "off" (definitely not a frontdoor).

"vPro" requires an intel NIC chipset, which gives the ME its own MAC address and allows it to be accessed via the standard method, but otherwise doesn't require any chipset drivers to function.