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Phoenix DRM Reads Your E-Mail

Posted by michael on from the no-joking-matter dept.

martensitic writes "eWeek reports that Phoenix has developed a utility allowing users of its laptop DRM BIOS (last discussed here) to 'check their Outlook data on a notebook computer without needing to boot the machine.' Since Longhorn is still several years away, Pheonix is developing their own trusted apps to sell the BIOS to laptop manufacturers. One can only imagine what other innocuous bells and whistles will be used to leverage DRM onto Joe Laptop's machine."

4 of 298 comments (clear)

  1. Solution looking for a problem by Space+cowboy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Ignoring the various 'Good God what else could they do' responses, do yuo *really* care about the 10 seconds or so it takes to come out of hibernation mode ? Enough to want DRM h/w on your machine ?

    Really ? Good for you. I don't.

    Simon.

    --
    Physicists get Hadrons!
  2. S.m.r.t. by Underholdning · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Ok, so here's what they do. They enable access to MS outlook information (address book, email etc) without having to go through the entire boot sequence.
    That means, your anti-virus product hasn't been launched yet, but you can still read that funny mail telling you to "see this amazing attachment".
    It also means, that they're basically providing an API to the outlook address book. That means, if you can fake that you're really just the BIOS requesting the information, you can make a virus that can access all the information it needs - undetected.
    Some might call this a feature. Other might call this Yet Another Reason To Avoid Phoenix And Outlook.

    --
    Underholdning.info
  3. Actually provides access to COPY of Outlook Data by peterjt · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I've read elesewhere that all this is doing is making use of an Outlook "extension" that, on a regular basis COPIES data from Outlook to a seperate area that the "quick check" application in the BIOS can access.

    So really, saying that it's providing "access" to Outlook data is slightly misleading. It's actually providing BIOS data to a "shadow" copy of the Outlook data

  4. and what happens when.... by schodackwm · · Score: 3, Interesting
    an unauthorized someone gets hold of your passworded laptop? Is it possible that you have mail or addresses that you don't want to share with thieves?

    I don't see any p/w or other protection mentioned in the PIM-in-NSBIOS (Not So Basic I/O sys)... so now I'm gonna need a dongle to secure the data?

    Amen to all who said vendors should leave the BIOS "basic."
    --
    [this sig has been trunca