subject: Phoenix tags PCs using BIOS posted: Wed, 02 Nov 2005 12:20:32 -0000
[Hmm. It seems to me this could be useful, but I imagine this tech
will take some time before it is truly useful. There will probably
be numerous ways to subvert it - such as cracking or overwriting the
in-memory copy of the BIOS code, impersonating an authorised process
in order to recover the key, or attacking the implementation (perhaps
sniff the hash as its sent over the wire? ... or there might be bugs
in the code)... on the face of it though, its half of a two-factor
authentication scheme, which is an improvement over one-factor, at
any rate. - Stu]
Phoenix Technologies has announced a new product designed to tag and
identify Windows PCs using a BIOS-protected encryption key.
The software, called TrustConnector 2, works by creating a unique
encrypted key, which is then stored either in a Trusted Platform
Module (TPM) chip, or in an area firewalled by the Phoneix BIOS, if
one is present.
When PCs running the system connect to a network, they can then be
identified as legitimate. The attraction for sysadmins is that
attackers attempting to access the network using stolen user names
and passwords will be refused, despite having legitimate logins.
The software can carry out this device authentication, regardless of
connection type. VPNs, wireless connections, and any application
supporting X.509 certificates are all supported. A range of x86-
derived devices will work with TrustConnector, including PDAs and
smartphones.
The company trialled the system in the Japanese market over last
year, where it claims to have enhanced its capabilities in a real-
world security environment. This explains the fact that the first
release is denoted as being version two – the first version being the
trial software.
According to CEO, AL Sisto, the company had developed the product in
response to the limitations of current device identification
techniques such as MAC and IP address logging. These were prone to
spoofing, which ruled them out for many secure environments.
The encrypted keys used by TrustConnector were secured in hardware
because that offered the highest degree of protection from tampering.
TPM chips, secure NICs, and hidden areas of the hard disk only
accessible by the Phoneix BIOS, are all supported.
The advantage of using BIOS-level protection was that the PC would
not require a hardware upgrade, he said.
Sisto emphasised that TrustConnector had no bearing on the
controversy surrounding using Trusted Platform Modules to enforce
digital rights management. It was simply another technology for
helping with the authentication process, he said.
Pricing for TrustConnector, including the back-end server system,
will be announced this week.
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