IBM Hardwires Encryption Into Chips

zenwarrior writes "Reported by CNET, a new chip technology termed Secure Blue by IBM will keep users' data encrypted and secured at virtually every moment on essentially anything in which the chip can be used. Data is even encrypted in RAM, leaving display for users' viewing as almost the last place it isn't encrypted. This has to be considered decidedly anti-Homeland Defense by the current administration. If so, when will we see it if ever?"

Comments

And repairing those computers?

[s0l3d4d]

And what will happen if you will replace the logic board of those computers? Will all your data be gone even for you?

Re:Pretty cool

[windowpain]

I'm not so sure that the Feds require encryption backdoors for devices. I think you may be thinking of CALEA and related laws. But AFAIK they refer only to tapping phone lines, rather than encryption.

Even if the Feds do pass a law requiring backdoors for devices, the law could be circumvented by doing the encryption in software. Not as convenient for the end-user perhaps, but millions of people around the world do that every day thanks to the various implementations of public-key (RSA) schemes.

Software trapdoors trump hardware backdoors.

Re:A chain is only as strong as its weakest link

[TheRaven64]

The VM on my laptop is encrypted, as is my home directory. When I boot, a decryption key for the VM is stored in RAM. If the machine is turned off, this is lost and it is impossible (well, very hard) to recover the contents of the swap. My home directory key is generated from my password, which must be entered when I log in.

All of this encryption is done in hardware. I was considering, for my next laptop purchase, getting one with a MiniPCI slot that could have a crypto accelerator inserted (even a cheap one can handle over 300MB/s throughput, which is faster than my hard disk can do). Having this on-chip or even on the motherboard would be a huge incentive for me.