Re: Dell to Add Security Chip to PCs

2005-02-03 Thread Ian G
Erwann ABALEA wrote:
On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, Trei, Peter wrote:
 

Seeing as it comes out of the TCG, this is almost certainly
the enabling hardware for Palladium/NGSCB. Its a part of
your computer which you may not have full control over.
   

Please stop relaying FUD. You have full control over your PC, even if this
one is equiped with a TCPA chip. See the TCPA chip as a hardware security
module integrated into your PC. An API exists to use it, and one if the
functions of this API is 'take ownership', which has the effect of
erasing it and regenerating new internal keys.
 

So .. the way this works is that Dell  Microsoft
ship you a computer with lots of nice multimedia
stuff on it.  You take control of your chip by erasing
it and regenerating keys, and then the multimedia
software that you paid for no longer works?
I'm just curious on this point.  I haven't seen much
to indicate that Microsoft and others are ready
for a nymous, tradeable software assets world.
iang
--
News and views on what matters in finance+crypto:
   http://financialcryptography.com/


Re: Dell to Add Security Chip to PCs

2005-02-03 Thread Eugen Leitl
On Wed, Feb 02, 2005 at 05:30:33PM +0100, Erwann ABALEA wrote:

 Please stop relaying FUD. You have full control over your PC, even if this

Please stop relaying pro-DRM pabulum. The only reason for Nagscab is
restricting the user's rights to his own files.

Of course there are other reasons for having crypto compartments in your
machine, but the reason Dell/IBM is rolling them out is not that.

 one is equiped with a TCPA chip. See the TCPA chip as a hardware security
 module integrated into your PC. An API exists to use it, and one if the
 functions of this API is 'take ownership', which has the effect of
 erasing it and regenerating new internal keys.

Really? How interesting. Please tell us more.

-- 
Eugen* Leitl a href=http://leitl.org;leitl/a
__
ICBM: 48.07078, 11.61144http://www.leitl.org
8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A  7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE
http://moleculardevices.org http://nanomachines.net


pgpNWd5zynCg5.pgp
Description: PGP signature


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Jim Bell WMD Threat

2005-02-03 Thread John Young
The FBI continues to claim Jim Bell is a WMD threat
despite having no case against him except in the media,
but that conforms to current FBI/DHS policy of fictionalizing
homeland threats.


http://www.edgewood.army.mil/downloads/bwirp/mdc_appendix_b02.pdf

See page 16.

This document was initially prepared in June 2002, updated in June
2003. 



RE: Jim Bell WMD Threat

2005-02-03 Thread Tyler Durden
Some of that is actually pretty funny, like Mixed in with food served to 
ex-girlfriend.

It really boils down to drumming up a stable gig for yourself.
-TD
From: John Young [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Jim Bell WMD Threat
Date: Wed, 02 Feb 2005 19:43:52 -0800
The FBI continues to claim Jim Bell is a WMD threat
despite having no case against him except in the media,
but that conforms to current FBI/DHS policy of fictionalizing
homeland threats.
http://www.edgewood.army.mil/downloads/bwirp/mdc_appendix_b02.pdf
See page 16.
This document was initially prepared in June 2002, updated in June
2003.



RE: Dell to Add Security Chip to PCs

2005-02-03 Thread Trei, Peter
Erwann ABALEA
 On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, Trei, Peter wrote:
 
  Seeing as it comes out of the TCG, this is almost certainly
  the enabling hardware for Palladium/NGSCB. Its a part of
  your computer which you may not have full control over.
 
 Please stop relaying FUD. You have full control 
 over your PC, even if this one is equiped with 
 a TCPA chip. See the TCPA chip as a hardware 
 security module integrated into your PC. An API 
 exists to use it, and one if the functions of 
 this API is 'take ownership', which has the effect of
 erasing it and regenerating new internal keys.

Congratulations on your new baby.

Working in the security business, paranoia is pretty
much a job requirement. What's the worst that could 
happen? is taken seriously.

The best that can happen with TCPA is pretty good -
it could stop a lot of viruses and malware, for one
thing.

But the worst that can happen with TCPA is 
pretty awful.

It could easily be leveraged to make motherboards
which will only run 'authorized' OSs, and OSs
which will run only 'authorized' software.

And you, the owner of the computer, will NOT
neccesarily be the authority which gets to decide
what OS and software the machine can run.

If you 'take ownership' as you put it, the internal
keys and certs change, and all of a sudden you
might not have a bootable computer anymore.

Goodbye Linux.
Goodbye Freeware.
Goodbye independent software development.

It would be a very sad world if this comes
to pass.

Peter Trei



Re: Dell to Add Security Chip to PCs

2005-02-03 Thread Dan Kaminsky
Uh, you *really* have no idea how much the black hat community is 
looking forward to TCPA.  For example, Office is going to have core 
components running inside a protected environment totally immune to 
antivirus.  Since these components are going to be managing 
cryptographic operations, the well defined API exposed from within the 
sandbox will have arbitrary content going in, and opaque content coming 
out.  Malware goes in (there's not a executable environment created that 
can't be exploited), sets up shop, has no need to be stealthy due to the 
complete blockage of AV monitors and cleaners, and does what it wants to 
the plaintext and ciphertext (alters content, changes keys) before 
emitting it back out the opaque outbound interface.

So, no FUD, you lose :)
--Dan

Erwann ABALEA wrote:
On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, Trei, Peter wrote:
 

Seeing as it comes out of the TCG, this is almost certainly
the enabling hardware for Palladium/NGSCB. Its a part of
your computer which you may not have full control over.
   

Please stop relaying FUD. You have full control over your PC, even if this
one is equiped with a TCPA chip. See the TCPA chip as a hardware security
module integrated into your PC. An API exists to use it, and one if the
functions of this API is 'take ownership', which has the effect of
erasing it and regenerating new internal keys.
 




RE: Dell to Add Security Chip to PCs

2005-02-03 Thread Peter Gutmann
Tyler Durden [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
 
That chip...is it likely to be an ASIC or is there already such a thing as
a security network processor? (ie, a cheaper network processor that only
handles security apps, etc...)
 
Or could it be an FPGA?

Neither.  Currently they've typically been smart-card cores glued to the 
MB and accessed via I2C/SMB.

Peter.



RE: Dell to Add Security Chip to PCs

2005-02-03 Thread Jay Sulzberger

On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, Erwann ABALEA wrote:
On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, Trei, Peter wrote:
Seeing as it comes out of the TCG, this is almost certainly
the enabling hardware for Palladium/NGSCB. Its a part of
your computer which you may not have full control over.
Please stop relaying FUD. You have full control over your PC, even if this
one is equiped with a TCPA chip. See the TCPA chip as a hardware security
module integrated into your PC. An API exists to use it, and one if the
functions of this API is 'take ownership', which has the effect of
erasing it and regenerating new internal keys.
--
Erwann ABALEA [EMAIL PROTECTED] - RSA PGP Key ID: 0x2D0EABD5
After TCPA systems are the only systems for sale at CompUSA, how long
before this off switch is removed?  All agree we live in a time of crisis;
at any moment MICROSOFT/RIAA/MPAA/HOMSECPOL/CONGREGATIONOFMARTYRS may
require of all of us an attestation of faith and obedience greater and more
secure than present hardware can convincingly convey.
oo--JS.


Re: Dell to Add Security Chip to PCs

2005-02-03 Thread Erwann ABALEA
On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, Dan Kaminsky wrote:

 Uh, you *really* have no idea how much the black hat community is
 looking forward to TCPA.  For example, Office is going to have core
 components running inside a protected environment totally immune to
 antivirus.

How? TCPA is only a cryptographic device, and some BIOS code, nothing
else. Does the coming of TCPA chips eliminate the bugs, buffer overflows,
stack overflows, or any other way to execute arbitrary code? If yes, isn't
that a wonderful thing? Obviously it doesn't (eliminate bugs and so on).

  Since these components are going to be managing
 cryptographic operations, the well defined API exposed from within the
 sandbox will have arbitrary content going in, and opaque content coming
 out.  Malware goes in (there's not a executable environment created that
 can't be exploited), sets up shop, has no need to be stealthy due to the
 complete blockage of AV monitors and cleaners, and does what it wants to
 the plaintext and ciphertext (alters content, changes keys) before
 emitting it back out the opaque outbound interface.

I use cryptographic devices everyday, and TCPA is not different than the
present situation. No better, no worse.

-- 
Erwann ABALEA [EMAIL PROTECTED] - RSA PGP Key ID: 0x2D0EABD5



RE: Dell to Add Security Chip to PCs

2005-02-03 Thread Erwann ABALEA
On Thu, 3 Feb 2005, Jay Sulzberger wrote:

 On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, Erwann ABALEA wrote:

  On Wed, 2 Feb 2005, Trei, Peter wrote:
 
  Seeing as it comes out of the TCG, this is almost certainly
  the enabling hardware for Palladium/NGSCB. Its a part of
  your computer which you may not have full control over.
 
  Please stop relaying FUD. You have full control over your PC, even if this
  one is equiped with a TCPA chip. See the TCPA chip as a hardware security
  module integrated into your PC. An API exists to use it, and one if the
  functions of this API is 'take ownership', which has the effect of
  erasing it and regenerating new internal keys.

 After TCPA systems are the only systems for sale at CompUSA, how long
 before this off switch is removed?  All agree we live in a time of crisis;
 at any moment MICROSOFT/RIAA/MPAA/HOMSECPOL/CONGREGATIONOFMARTYRS may
 require of all of us an attestation of faith and obedience greater and more
 secure than present hardware can convincingly convey.

And do you seriously think that you can't do that, it's technically not
possible is a good answer? That's what you're saying. For me, a better
answer is you don't have the right to deny my ownership.

-- 
Erwann ABALEA [EMAIL PROTECTED] - RSA PGP Key ID: 0x2D0EABD5