New computer hardware designed to keep sensitive information locked in a 鈥渧irtual vault鈥� has been announced by the world鈥檚 largest microchip maker, Intel.
The new hardware will not only protect data against hackers but also stop PC users copying and distributing copyright-protected digital files via the internet, the company claims. However, Intel has not provided details of how the anti-copying feature would work.
Although the entertainment industry is keen to see these measures introduced, some fear the chip could curb users鈥� ability to legitimately copy files and could restrict conventional computer use.
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Ian Brown, acting director of the UK鈥檚 Foundation for Information Policy Research says users will benefit from improved security, but controlling data copying will alter the way computers are used.
He told New Scientist: 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a shame that we鈥檙e seeing the end of the general purpose programmable personal computer that you can do with what you want.鈥�
Intel says the secure part of the component could be deactivated. But analysts speculate that users would not then be able to use copy-protected data.
LaGrande plan
Intel鈥檚 president Paul Otellini says the technology, dubbed LaGrande, will be built into certain microprocessor.
鈥淟aGrande is all about creating a safer computing environment,鈥� Otellini said at the Intel Developer Forum in San Jose, California. 鈥淟aGrande delivers a hardware-based foundation for security. It has protected execution, protected memory and protected storage.鈥�
A spokesman for Intel in Germany says the hardware will provide a protected area in which code can be stored and executed.
鈥淎nything in this protected space will be out of view of other programs鈥�, he told New Scientist. 鈥淚t will hopefully make it much more difficult for anyone interested in your computer.鈥�
Rogue code
A common way to break into a computer system is to trick a user into installing rogue code that will capture passwords and sensitive files. LaGrande should offer protection against this threat, the spokesman says.
Otellini said LaGrande will work in combination with future Microsoft security software, dubbed Palladium, to prevent users copying and distributing digital music, video and software without permission.
Microsoft plans to introduce versions of its operating system with Palladuim by 2004.
Both Intel and Microsoft are part of the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance, a collaboration involving a number of hardware and software makers aimed at improving the security of PC hardware and software design.