MESSAGE
| DATE | 2005-03-17 |
| FROM | From: "Inker, Evan"
|
| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] Hardware security sneaks into PCs
|
Hardware security sneaks into PCs
By Robert Lemos
http://news.com.com/Hardware+security+sneaks+into+PCs/2100-7355_3-5619035.ht
ml
Story last modified Wed Mar 16 04:00:00 PST 2005
Millions of workers will get the latest in PC security this year--but they
won't get the full benefit.
The three largest computer makers--Dell, Hewlett-Packard and IBM--have
started selling desktops and notebooks with so-called trusted computing
hardware, which allows security-sensitive applications to lock down data to
a specific PC.
News.context
What's new:
The top 3 PC makers have started selling models with encryption hardware,
even though Microsoft's software for the technology has hit delays.
Bottom line:
That leaves hardware makers in a rare position: They are leading Microsoft,
rather than working to support one of the software giant's initiatives.
More stories on this topic
But Microsoft's plans to take advantage of the technology have been delayed,
meaning the software heavyweight likely won't get behind it until the
release of Longhorn, the Windows update scheduled for next year.
That leaves hardware makers in a rare position: They are leading Microsoft,
rather than working to support one of the software giant's initiatives.
"Our success is not dependent on Microsoft," said Brian Berger, executive
vice president at security company Wave Systems and the marketing chair for
the Trusted Computing Group. "When Microsoft comes on board with some of
what they have talked about, it will be that much better, but this is not a
Microsoft-centric activity."
The Trusted Computing Group, the industry consortium that sets
specifications for the specialized hardware, has had to rely on other
software makers to demonstrate the benefits of running a trusted PC.
Largely a footnote in 2004, the technology is set to take off this year,
with the top 3 PC makers shipping laptops and desktops equipped with
hardware security. Dell, the last holdout, announced that it had added the
security technology to its latest line of notebooks on Feb. 1. In 2005, more
than 20 million computers will ship with the trusted platform module, up
from 8 million in 2004, according to estimates from research firm IDC.
The technology locks specialized encryption keys in a data
vault--essentially a chip on the computer's motherboard. Computers with the
feature can wall off data, secure communications and identify systems
belonging to the company or to business partners. That means companies can
improve the security of access to corporate data, even when the PC is not
connected to a network.
Microsoft is a significant proponent of trusted computing. When it first
publicized plans in 2002 to create a security technology known as Palladium,
it said that its software component might be released as early as the end of
2004.
Then digital-rights advocates raised concerns that the technology could be
used by software makers and media companies to control people's PCs, putting
Microsoft on the defensive. The dispute even led the software giant to
change the name of its technology from Palladium to the Next-Generation
Secure Computing Base, or NGSCB.
Moreover, technical issues--such as how information tied to one PC could be
backed up and restored to another computer--required Microsoft to rethink
parts of the technology.
The software giant declined to provide details on the current state of the
Next-Generation Secure Computing Base software. "We do not have an update on
NGSCB to share at this time," the company said in a statement sent Tuesday
to CNET News.com. "Microsoft continues to actively work through many of the
technical details, and we expect to be able to provide more details in the
near future."
Chicken and egg
The delays have not slowed down the Trusted Computing Group, which now has
more than 70 members, including Intel, IBM and Sun Microsystems. Without
waiting for Microsoft, which is a member of the group, to decide on the
details of its software, the consortium has moved forward.
"They are saying: 'If this is going to be a 'chicken and egg' problem, then
we are going to be the egg and not wait,'" said Roger Kay, vice president of
client computing at IDC. Kay predicted that by 2010, almost 95 percent of
all computers sold will have the trusted platform module.
Though there are bumps in the software road map, companies have not put off
buying trusted PCs. Many are looking ahead to the near future, when network
security and management applications will likely have widespread support for
the hardware, Kay said.
"I think it is a check-box item for customers," Kay said. "If they are not
using it yet, their thought is that in a year or so, they will start to
support the platform."
Applications for the trusted PC platform exist, but are nuts and bolts
programs rather than whiz-bang products, Wave Systems' Berger said.
"The applications that are out there today are more data-centric: 'Can I
protect my data with hardware-based keys?'" he said. Wave Systems creates
encryption products that use the Trusted Computing platform to protect
corporate data.
Each PC maker also sells their systems with control panels for basic data
security functions, including managing access and encryption.
Other encryption providers are also looking to support the technology.
Entrust, which is not a member of the Trusted Computing Group, has not let
Microsoft's missed deadlines affect its decision to support the technology,
according to a company executive.
"There are a lot of cylinders firing on these things," said Chris Voice,
chief technology officer at Entrust. "However, the engine is not going to
stop because one cylinder is not fully firing."
While Microsoft didn't keep to its initial, tentative targets for its
trusted PC products, the software giant should be able to hit the more
relaxed deadline of the Longhorn operating system release, IDC's Kay said.
"When Longhorn comes out, it's going to be rocket fuel for the whole thing,"
he said. "You can do authentication now, but the thought that you can do
more highfalutin things is where Microsoft comes in."
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