BOSTON (AP) -- In an effort to boost the level
of data security on portable computers, cell phones and other gadgets,
IBM Corp. is unveiling a method for injecting encryption capabilities
into the heart of the machines' circuitry.
There are multiple ways to achieve encryption, the mathematical art
of encoding data to protect it from spying eyes. Specialized software
can do the trick, as can hard-wired chips inside computers.
But IBM researchers contend that unless the encryption function is
performed by a computer's central processing unit, a supremely savvy
hacker can tap into the pathway between the machine's brain and the
separate encryption engine.
To guard against that, IBM is announcing Monday that it has
developed "SecureBlue" - a set of encryption circuitry that can be
integrated into any processor, regardless of its manufacturer.
"This thing is trying to be one of the most paranoid devices on the
planet," said Charles Palmer, IBM's head security researcher.
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