The key is in the firmware: Microsoft works on a new system to protect computers with Windows 10

One of the aspects that most concern users today is that related to computer security. Something that is not surprising given that the number of connected devices is increasing and therefore they are easier targets to be attacked by third parties.

And Microsoft, with a huge fleet of devices (almost a billion Windows PCs), is a pretty juicy target for cyber attackers. All the more reason for Microsoft to try to put up barriers to avoid these threats.And after the entry into play of Artificial Intelligence, now they have in mind more systems to protect users

Secured-core PC

Computers contain software developed by both application developers and hardware manufacturers. And between them, there must be a teamwork relationship, side by side so as not to leave open gaps. For this reason, Microsoft has opted to reinforce these collaborations with an initiative called Secured-core PC.

With this system the relationship between Windows and the firmware of the equipment and with the operation of the boot system of the device is considered. A system that would try to avoid that, as a result of development by different parties, there could be a security breach.

The Secured-core PC system acts on the operation of the equipment and its hardware in relation to the software .When you press the power button, the processor firmware will power on the system but will also limit how much the processor relies on its own firmware to define the code path it needs to boot the system. So the processor will call the Microsoft bootloader to get those instructions.

This protocol seeks to establish a secure path that the processor can take each time the computer boots in order to prevent attacks. In short, it is a matter of taking precedence over the threat and preventing these attacks from occurring instead of detecting them in advance and then patching them.

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It is an improvement over the Secure Boot system that is present since Windows 8, a system that is based on manager authentication boot to ensure it is secure. A system that has been working correctly, but that has a must in its account and is that it depends on the confidence in the firmware to verify each part in the boot software.But what if the threat is in said firmware? It is what Secured-core PC tries to avoid"

Microsoft's proposal is already on the table and now it's time to implement it in the computers that come out on the market. The American company works with firms such as Intel, AMD and Qualcomm, the main manufacturers of processors, which are in charge of developing the firmware with their corresponding encryption keys on their chips.

The new devices that reach the market could include this new improvement and the first example in which we will see the practical application of the Secured protocol -core PC will be Microsoft's next Surface Pro X, the first step to see the arrival of models from other manufacturers such as Dell, HP, Lenovo or Panasonic

Via | Wired