Trust in trusted computing – the end of security as we know it

Abstract

Trusted computing, which incorporates a new tamper-resistant chip in hardware, will address many IT security worries. This article will cover the main problems that trusted computing will help with and also the controversy that surrounds the new technology. The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) means business. The TCG is integrating security into computer hardware, in the form of a tamper -resistant hardware chip called the Trusted Platform Module (TPM). The change in technology is being pushed by the biggest IT superpowers: Sun, IBM, HP, Intel, Microsoft and so on. Already there are more than 15 million TPM-enabled machines available. The movement has been eyed with suspicion by some industry commentators who are worried about privacy and the potential for digital rights management. But according to Dinesh Kallath at the BT Security Research Centre “for the near future there is nothing else that has the potential to improve security or enhance the trust that this technology offers.” He believes that the potential of trusted computing outweighs any shortcomings. The new technology enables a function called attestation that can detect if software has been changed by a malicious program. Encryption keys for highly sensitive data can be locked away in hardware. Also, communications between applications and devices can be encrypted. The cryptography extends even further. A process - called bulk encryption means that even if a laptop is stolen, data on the machine cannot be accessed…