[ISN] Intel exec envisions "the trusted PC"

From: mea culpa (jerichoat_private)
Date: Fri Jan 22 1999 - 16:16:22 PST

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    Forwarded From: darek milewski <darekmat_private>
    
    http://www.news.com/News/Item/0,4,31182,00.html?st.ne.ni.lh
    Intel exec envisions "the trusted PC"
    By Tim Clark
    Staff Writer, CNET News.com
    January 20, 1999, 3:00 p.m. PT
    
         SAN JOSE, California--Elaborating on plans to build security into its
    chips and other hardware, Intel today outlined its vision for "creating
    the trusted PC," building on the widespread acknowledgement that putting
    security in hardware, rather than software, is more robust. 
    
         Patrick Gelsinger, group vice president of Intel's desktop products
    group, also detailed the giant chipmaker's stepped-up lobbying on privacy
    and government controls on exporting strong encryption. 
    
         "Intel will deliver the security building blocks to enable the
    trusted, connected PC," Gelsinger said at the RSA Data Security
    conference, expanding on the announcement earlier this week of a broad
    partnership with RSA. 
    
         "Security is only as a strong as the foundation, and hardware means
    stronger trust," he said, indicating plans to include security in its
    Pentium III chips, chipsets, motherboards, and other products. 
    
         "We are not replacing software, we are building a foundation for
    trusted software," he said.
    
         Gelsinger also promoted Intel's Common Data Security Architecture
    [CDSA], a framework for infusing security into all aspects of computers
    built with Intel chips. In addition to its own CDSA, Intel products will
    enable Microsoft's Crypto API [CAPI] and RSA's security framework. 
    
         Anticipating an upcoming announcement, he revealed that Compaq has
    signed onto the CDSA alliance, joining IBM, Security Dynamics, Hewlett
    Packard, Lotus, Certicom, Motorola, and AT&T. 
    
         Yesterday, Ireland's Baltimore Technology said it will create CDSA
    software tools for markets outside North America. 
    
         This year, Intel will add serial numbers to each Pentium III
    processor, making it easier to identify the specific machine being used in
    an online environment, Gelsinger said. The chipmaker also will add a
    random number generator, a common cryptographic technique, to the chipset. 
    The RNG will use the thermal noise of semiconductor resistors to create
    random numbers, thus enabling better cryptography and digital signing
    protocols. 
    
         The chips will ship by the end of March, he said. 
    
         Further, through its pending acquisition of Shiva, Intel's networking
    group will support IPSec, an important Internet security standard. 
    
         "We are happy and surprised by enthusiasm from application developers
    for the processor serial numbers,"  Gelsinger said, adding that 30-plus
    software developers have committed to write both consumer and business
    software that takes advantage of putting a unique number on every Pentium
    III processor. 
    
         Next year, Intel will add authentication capabilities to its
    offerings, and in 2001 will deal with peripheral devices. 
    
         On the public-policy front, Gelsinger campaigned hard for lifting
    U.S. limits on encryption exports, a popular stand at the conference. 
    
         "The government should not limit the global deployment of necessary
    encryption technology. Intel wants to ship products on a global basis, run
    our business on a global basis, conduct e-commerce on a global basis, and
    manufacture products on a global basis," he said. 
    
         He praised this week's announcement by France that it would soften
    its controls of encryption, deregulate the use of strong, 128-bit
    encryption within France, and spend more on security research. 
    
         "The right policy is fighting technology with technology,"  Gelsinger
    said. Intel strongly opposes secret "back doors" in encrypted products
    that allow the government to obtain the cryptographic keys to decrypt
    scrambled data, he said. 
    
         On privacy, he said Intel will build into its chips the ability for
    individuals to control whether to hide their identity online. Intel also
    will make people aware of the kind of data being collected about them. 
    
         Some online privacy advocates worry that serial numbers will allow a
    way to track individuals on the Internet. But Intel counters that concern
    by arguing that serial numbers would improve security and protect the
    privacy of individual users. 
    
         "This does not in any way limit anyone's privacy or capabilities in
    terms of what they can do," according to Intel spokesman Seth Walker.
    "Intel will never keep a list of processor numbers of which processors go
    where.  This is designed to bring greater security to end users and help
    grow the pervasiveness of e-commerce worldwide." 
    
         As an example, he argued that individuals would be more willing to
    send personal medical information over the Net if they had the additional
    layer of security provided by serial numbers on their hardware. 
    
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