My understanding from talking to Intel in mid '98 is that each
processor has an ID that cannot be changed, and there is a special
opcode to retreive that ID from the chip. Applications would have be
modified to actually perform the operation, but yes, it is a piece of
software that actuall takes the ID from the chip and sends it out to
others.
What I haven't been able to figure out is how this helps anything.
Let's say that M$IE 5.0 has the functionality to read the ID and send
it along in SSL for e-commerce. Somehow there is a software hook to
read the ID out of the chip, right? Well, this is Windows, it's VERY
EASY to replace any piece of software. So, I replace that software to
return '0xdeadbeef' instead of my real ID. Then M$IE 5.0 sends
'0xdeadbeef' to the vendor, thereby anonymizing myself. If I can find
someone else's ID I can easily pose myself as them.
I suggested that instead of an ID they should have a public/private
keypair when the chip can perform the private-key operations and
software can extract the public key. That would, IMHO, prove a better
use of silicon than a static ID number.
Have a Nice Day,
-derek
Jamie Fifield <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
>
> On Wed, 20 Jan 1999, Rob Lemos wrote:
>
> > http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2189721,00.html
>
> >From this article:
>
> "This kills theft," said one cryptographer at this week's RSA
> Data Security Conference, who had been briefed by Intel on its
> plans. "As soon as you go on the Internet, you will be detected."
>
>
>
> Um, why? Unless network cards are made to transmit the ID when queried
> without any interference from software, wouldn't one just configure one's
> operating system to either not reply to these queries or to use some other
> ID?
>
> Anyone know something and want to share with the group? :)
>
> --
>
> Jamie Fifield <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>
> Black holes are where God divided by zero.
>
>
>
--
Derek Atkins, SB '93 MIT EE, SM '95 MIT Media Laboratory
Member, MIT Student Information Processing Board (SIPB)
URL: http://web.mit.edu/warlord/ PP-ASEL N1NWH
[EMAIL PROTECTED] PGP key available
