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• May 14, 2003 •

Microsoft Changes Name of Palladium, Discusses Details

* When Microsoft first announced plans in June 2002 to create a more secure environment for Windows, and code-named it "Palladium", there were a lot of negative comments.

So what to do? First you just rename the project. It is now known as Next-Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB). At last week's WinHEC (Windows Hardware Engineering Conference), developers where shown a first peek at the technology.

NGSCB is a combined software/hardware solution to the problem of security and intellectual property rights. The hardware would be a new security chip added to the PC. Reportedly AMD and Intel have already signed up for the project. With NGSCB, applications will run in a protected memory space that is highly resistant to software tampering and interference.

NGSCB delivers four fundamental components that make up the security:

  1. Attestation lets other computers know that your computer is really the computer it claims to be, and is running the software it claims to be running.
  2. Sealed Storage allows the user to encrypt information so that it can only be accessed by a trusted application.
  3. Strong process isolation essentially acts like a bank vault, making the CPU more secure from attack.
  4. Secure input and output. Keystrokes are encrypted before they can be read by software and decrypted once they reach secure side of the CPU. That means that nobody can use malicious software to record and steal or modify your keyboards strokes.

Below is a schematic overview of NGSCB. The traditional "left-hand side" of a computer's chipset and CPU joins a new, "right-hand side" security computing chipset, designed to protect against malicious software while preserving Windows' openness.

NGSCB

Speaking at WinHEC, Bill Gates argued that this new security technology would not give controls over their PCs to media companies; consumers can opt to "turn off" the system when it becomes available. The big question mark here is of course how much access you would have to digital information once you decide not to use/enable NGSCB.

Like I mentioned previously, Palladium's (excuse me, NGSCB's) big hurdle as I see it (and I'm sure many agree with me) is trust. Do we trust Microsoft to do the right thing? Or is this just another attempt to strengthen its grip on the market? According to Microsoft NGSCB will be easily portable to other operating systems, and it's up to other companies to ensure interoperability.

According to sources, the first beta software build on NGSCB should be available sometime next year. NGSCB is scheduled to be included in a future major Microsoft operating system release ("Longhorn", Microsoft's next Windows version is scheduled for a possible 2005 release).

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Last Updated: May 14, 2003