Microsoft Secured-core PCs

2019: Announcement

On October 21, 2019 Microsoft announced a project startup, directed to protection of computers at the level of a firmware and the operating system. The initiative under the name Secured-core PCs is implemented together with PC makers and chips.

These devices created in cooperation with PC makers and semiconductor partners should meet to a certain set of requirements. It is about advanced methods of security, such as isolation, and the minimum level of trust to a firmware or a core of the device which is the cornerstone of the Windows operating system. This equipment is intended especially for such industries as financial services, state bodies and health care and also for workers who process the highly sensitive IP addresses, data of clients or personal information, says Microsoft.

Microsoft announced a project startup, directed to protection of computers at the level of a firmware and the operating system

Protection essence — to isolate encryption keys and identification files from the OS files. First of all, it will allow to exclude a possibility of a compromise of the device during the hacker attack.

Before the problem with protected by the PC was that the microcode of firmwares was created by OEM manufacturing of motherboards and systems. Actually it was the weakest link in a supply chain of Microsoft. The game console Xbox, for example, for years works as the Secured-core PCs platform as at all levels ― from hardware to program ― monitor security of the platform in Microsoft. With the PC still it was impossible.

The company considers that it is a necessary step as hackers are interested in search of vulnerabilities in software less, and even more often the firmware becomes their main goal. Microsoft noted on October 21, 2019 that for the previous three years the number of versions of BIOS increased "five times" because of what the problem rose more sharply.^[1]

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