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Hacker Cracks Security Chip Known as 'Digital Fort Knox'

by Terrence O'Brien on February 9, 2010 at 01:35 PM

Hacker Christopher Tarnovsky has accomplished what many thought was nearly impossible: cracking the Trusted Platform Module (TPM). Described by some as a "digital Fort Knox," the TPM is a specialized processor dedicated to encrypting data and keeping sensitive information from prying eyes. The chips, found in many PCs, are an important line of defense for businesses and governments who need to protect their secrets.

Tarnovsky was able to crack the flagship model from Infineon, which is one of the market leaders and has chips in PCs, smartphones, set-top boxes, and the Xbox 360.

There are two caveats. First, it's not known whether or not the attack would work on the TPMs of other chip makers, and, second, cracking the encryption requires physical access to the device. Considering how often laptops and cell phones are lost or stolen, however, getting physical access to a computer that holds sensitive data isn't nearly as hard as it should be.

The Trusted Computing Group, the standards group that governs TPM chips, stood by the technology as an effective way to secure data. The group told the Associated Press that the hack was "exceedingly difficult to replicate." Of course, "exceedingly difficult" is not impossible, and we suspect it's only a matter of time before we see the first attack that circumvents this formerly foolproof security measure. [From: Associated Press/Discovery News]

Tags: christopher tarnovsky, ChristopherTarnovsky, encryption, hack, hacker, hacking, safety, security, top, tpm, trusted platform module, TrustedPlatformModule

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