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

Clipper Chip???

[DAldredge]

Like the last adminstration would have liked this tech? Face it - neiter party in DC likes anything that takes power away from them.

When will we see it, if ever?

[magetoo]

My guess: In media center PCs in 3... 2... 1...

Re:When will we see it, if ever?

[frovingslosh]

Yup, mod parent up. Some might call this anti-homeland defense (particularly if the childishly believe the feds can't get your data this way), but the reality is that it is a maror shove in the DRM direction. With DRM already in the SATA hard drives, this is another way to fence the user away from their data. And what happens when Windows does it's all too common trick of refusing to boot and let you at your existing files? Well just reinstall everything (from the CDs that the major OEMs like Dell no longer even bother to give you) and retype it, because you sure are not going to recover it any longer. This is called trusted computing.

Pretty cool

[liliafan]

Interesting report but I would like to see more details, what type of encryption is being used? I think this would be a great thing, however, I can see it being blocked from ever reaching the market due to home security risks, unless there is a backdoor installed which really makes it kinda pointless in the first place.

Regardless it is very interesting that they say this technology can be used on any chip and not just powerPC's, also is the encrypted data tied to the chip or the system, how would this effect SMP systems, or virtual partitions?

Re:Pretty cool

[c0l0]

From what I've heard the encryption scheme to be implemented by the "Secure Blue" chip is supposed to be based on a sophisticated algorithm called "Triple-ROT52", developed at an university in Australia. Neat stuff, indeed!
 
 

Now let's lean back and see how long it takes for the Inquirer to pick this up...

DRM

[Ingolfke]

This can help you, the end-user secure your data, but is also a necessary component of a DRM hardware solution.

Re:DRM

[linguae]

Come up with fair prices and easy to use players as Apple did. And you've got win-win scenario without DRM even come into play.

Hmmm, doesn't Apple use DRM in its iTunes music and in OS X?

Re:DRM

[Firehed]

It locks you into certain hardware. Not too many people will be keen to switch to a PlaysForSure-compatible player if they've got an iTunes library full of protected AAC songs. In any case, it's a futile attempt to do so as there are so many ways to deal with it, but it'll certainly deter casual users (read: those that can't be bothered to burn and re-rip their whole purchased library) from switching. CSS? It's not to stop copying DVDs, it's to make sure that everyone who makes players has to pay a licensing fee. Why else can you grab PC DVD player drives for <$20 where a standalone DVD player starts around the $40 mark?

They know damned well that until our brains can decode encrypted digital video and audio, they can't stop copying. It must be converted to analog before we can use it, and while they can hamper things, there's absolutely no way to stop microphones and camcorders. It's for the sole purpose of extracting as much profit from everyone as possible. The anti-piracy makes a decent cover, but in reality it's one of the largest anti-competitive schemes in recent history.

Or Sponsored by DHS?

[MooseByte]

"This has to be considered decidedly anti-Homeland Defense by the current administration."

Unless they designed the backdoor to be inserted....

Re:Or Sponsored by DHS?

[Jeremi]

You can bet on it

Can you? If anything about the government-installed backdoor ever became public knowledge, IBM would be facing all kinds of lawsuits from anyone who ever bought that chip, would probably have to refund or replace every copy of the chip they ever sold, and it would be a long, long time before anyone would seriously consider buying a "secure" chip from IBM again.

I like a crypto-fascist conspiracy as much as the next guy, but wouldn't that be an awfully big marketing risk for IBM to take?

Homeland Security Vrs RIAA

[Jumbo Jimbo]

This has to be considered decidedly anti-Homeland Defense by the current administration. If so, when will we see it if ever?

Anti-Homeland Defense, maybe, but avoiding data leakage will make it very attractive to RIAA / MPAA and other copyright protection lobby groups.

So Maybe we get to see what happens when the RIAA face off against the Department for Homeland Security and the CIA - that would be one I would like to see (Maybe we should just watch them fight them nuke them both from orbit - only way to be sure).

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?

Maybe negative, but in a different way

[towsonu2003]

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. ... This has to be considered decidedly anti-Homeland Defense by the current administration.

I don't get the reference to Homeland Security? Is this the result of the newest US social scare, or is it really relevant?

Anyway, this could be bad news in two ways:
1. It will be used for DRM for sure
2. You won't be able to see what's going on on your employee's computer (which is good news for the employee)

But how does the Homeland Security gets injected into this issue? I mean, will some poor encryption (of which the specs can be supoeaned under the patriot act) stop the Department of Homeland Security from getting into our hard drives and data? I wish someone could clarify this...

No processor overhead.

[Chas]

Hey man. What's that encryption on that thing?

Double ROT26.

Woo. That's gonna be TOUGH to crack!

Keys too or only algorithms?

[quentin_quayle]

Apparently what they're putting in the chips is, at least, encryption/decryption routines. Aside from the obvious questions (what happens when you want to change algorithms?), the important question is whether they're including digital keys as well.

The single factor that makes "trusted computing" evil is that there's a digital key (the "attestation" or "endorsement" key) baked into the TPM which the owner of the machine is prevented from accessing or changing. If all the keys were accessible to the owner, it would be a purely beneficial technology. With the anti-owner feature, it becomes an engine of DRM, censorship, and vendor lock-in on a vast scale, and at a fundamental level absolutely prevents security and privacy for the computer owner.

So the question is which category this IBM tech falls into. And that in turn depends on whether digital keys will be baked into the processor, or whether it's only a set of routines that any software can use under the owner's control.