Security News > 2020 > November > Microsoft brings its on-die Pluton security processor to Intel, AMD CPUs
Microsoft is integrating its Pluton security processor directly into Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm CPUs to better secure Windows PCs. Windows 10 gains enhanced security by utilizing specialized chips called Trusted Platform Modules to provide hardware-based security functions.
Microsoft is now partnering with Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm to introduce the Pluton security processor as an on-die chip in their CPUs.
As an integrated processor, it will be able to perform secure cryptographic functions without the risk of data leaking as it is communicating with the CPU. Introduced in the XBOX One and Azure Sphere, the Pluton security processor will emulate a TPM so that it can perform secure cryptographic functions and protect the boot process, encryption keys, and credentials directly on the CPU. This prevents malware and other malicious attacks from gaining access to the data.
"One of the other major security problems solved by Pluton is keeping the system firmware up to date across the entire PC ecosystem. Today customers receive updates to their security firmware from a variety of different sources than can be difficult to manage resulting in wide-spread patching issues. Pluton provides a flexible, updateable platform for running firmware that implements end-to-end security functionality that is authored, maintained, and updated by Microsoft. Pluton for Windows computers will be integrated with the Windows Update process in the same way that the Azure Sphere Security Service connects to IoT devices," Microsoft explains in their announcement.
Microsoft, Intel, and AMD have not indicated when new processors with the integrated Pluton security processor will be available.
News URL
Related news
- Intel, AMD CPUs on Linux impacted by newly disclosed Spectre bypass (source)
- Microsoft overhauls security for publishing Edge extensions (source)
- Microsoft blocks Windows 11 24H2 on some Intel PCs over BSOD issues (source)
- Microsoft Issues Security Update Fixing 118 Flaws, Two Actively Exploited in the Wild (source)
- Week in review: Microsoft fixes two exploited zero-days, SOC teams are losing trust in security tools (source)
- China’s infosec leads accuse Intel of NSA backdoor, cite chip security flaws (source)
- Microsoft warns it lost some customer's security logs for a month (source)
- Microsoft lost some customers’ cloud security logs (source)
- Tesla, Intel, deny they're the foreign company China just accused of making maps that threaten national security (source)
- New Research Reveals Spectre Vulnerability Persists in Latest AMD and Intel Processors (source)