• Hardware Industry News
  • Microsoft Announces Pluton Security Processor in Collaboration with AMD, Intel, + Qualcomm
2020/11/18 02:11:48
rjohnson11
https://www.techpowerup.com/274805/microsoft-announces-pluton-security-processor-in-collaboration-with-amd-intel-and-qualcomm
 
The security of PCs has been an issue in the past few years as cyber-attack methods have been undergoing a transformation to hardware-specific malware that exploits different vulnerabilities of CPUs. That is why Microsoft, the developer of the most popular operating system, Windows 10, decided to engineer a hardware processor that will protect the OS and its user by having a specific job of maintaining the platform security. In collaboration with AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm, Microsoft is today introducing the Pluton security processor. The collaborator companies are going to integrate the new Pluton processor inside their CPUs and thus embed a new level of security in their PCs.
 
Today, the core of OS security is based on a separate component called a Trusted Platform Module (TPM). The TPM is located off the CPU and it is used to verify various platform parameters and store keys. Over the years, attackers have used the bus interface between the CPU and TPM to develop new exploits, however, with the Pluton core, those entries are removed, as the new TPM (Pluton processor) is inside the CPU and possibly even more secured.

The collaborating companies are set to integrate the Pluton processors in their future products. Each company is expected to integrate this processor with the launch of next-generation CPUs. It is currently unknown if this will include server-class processors or just desktop platforms.
 
I think this is a great idea so long as it doesn't affect performance of the CPUs. 
2020/11/18 06:30:13
Cool GTX
We can hope performance is not impacted
 
I think the bad guys will just adapt to the new technology .... Hardware solutions to a software issue for average PC users
2020/11/18 06:55:06
wmmills
If this was a independent company coming up with a way to use the crypto crunching to secure pc's id feel alot better about it, especially since the fbi cried the blues for years about wanting backdoors etc.... and now have shut up about it pretty much. Performance shouldnt be impacted with the way described if its done at the post level and then is done, unless they will be pulling telemetry from this more integrated hardware setup. Either way,the adventurous ones will take it apart and figure it out eventually, god help them if they back door it.
2020/11/28 15:49:36
mathematical
Seems beneficial.
2020/12/15 08:42:48
skier23
This seems really useful.

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