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New Educational Guidelines Developed to Bring Trusted Computing to Billions of Devices
November 2023 by Marc Jacob
Implementing protection for connected devices and critical data will soon be made quicker and easier through new educational guidelines created by the Trusted Computing Group (TCG). Hosted on the TCG website, the guidelines define and explain key concepts crucial to the concept of secure, trusted computing and provide valuable insight to manufacturers looking to select and implement the most relevant security solutions for their products.
Cyber-attacks are increasingly targeting system integrity rather than encryption algorithms. As a result, it is vital that devices have the capability to attest and verify any information that enters and leaves its systems. The latest standards, specifications and technologies can help provide this, but if an incorrect choice is made, it can quickly lead to errors in implementation and leave manufacturers at the mercy of potential attackers. To overcome this issue, TCG has created simple, easily digestible content for manufacturers and users alike to gain a stronger understanding of the solutions available and how these suit specific device requirements.
“In today’s interconnected world, ensuring the security and integrity of digital systems is of paramount importance” said TCG President Dr Joerg Borchert. “Through our educational guidelines, TCG are offering an authoritative resource that offers support to manufacturers and device owners when choosing a suitable solution. Covering a number of vital standards and specifications devised by our workgroups, we hope this information helps to establish stronger security measures and trusted computing in devices and systems across the globe”.
At the core of the educational guidelines sits the concept of a ‘Root-of-Trust’, the critical foundation for establishing a chain of trust for devices and systems. By ensuring only legitimate and authorized code and data are executed, a RoT enables manufacturers and users to trust the integrity of their systems.
The guidelines outline the benefits of each TCG standard and specification designed to provide a RoT anchor. This includes the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), a microcontroller integrated in over two billion devices worldwide that secures hardware through cryptographic keys. As the definition of computing has expanded over time, the guidelines cover the evolution of the TPM alongside new concepts such as DICE, MARS and the vTPM.
