Trusted Computing Group Software Stack Specification Announced for Development of Standards-Based Applications That Will Protect Data, Help Secure Platforms
Tuesday September 16, 11:40 am ET
TCG Members Showcasing Trusted Solutions in IDF Booth #917
SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 16, 2003-- The Trusted Computing Group -- an open industry standards organization whose specifications help vendors build products that let users protect critical data and information -- today announced the immediate availability of the Trusted Computing Group Software Stack specification. Application developers can use this software specification to develop interoperable client applications for more tamper-resistant computing.
The security features defined in the Trusted Computing Group Software Stack specification include attestation, authentication, and secure storage. The specification will enable developers to build applications that include security policies for trusted time stamping of transactions, trustworthy auditing and physical presence for policy activation. Applications based on this specification will be independent of the operating system type, enabling users to implement the applications across a variety of platforms.
TCG members Atmel, Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM, Infineon, Intel Corp., M-Systems, National Semiconductor, NTRU, Softex Inc., STMicroelectronics and Wave Systems Corp. are demonstrating available trusted computing solutions at the Intel Developer Forum, Booth #917.
"Over the last two years the need to prevent tampering, secure transactions, and protect data for both businesses and home users has gone from important to critical," said Rob Enderle, president of the Enderle Group. "The creation of an industry standard software specification addressing these trusted computing concerns is one of the most major steps on the path to meeting this critical need."
The Trusted Computing Group Software Stack specification provides a standard application programming interface to access the security-related functions of the Trusted Platform Module, or TPM. The resulting applications will build on security provided in hardware via the TPM, which is a small chip that protects key computing operations, handles cryptographic functions, stores integrity metrics and handles platform attestation. More than 4 million platforms with TPMs from a variety of manufacturers have been shipped to date by various systems vendors.
The Trusted Computing Group Software Stack specification also will more easily enable applications that build on existing PKCS#11 (Public Key Cryptography Standards) and MSCAPI (Microsoft CryptoAPI)-based applications, such as secure e-mail, that are already supported by the TPM.
The Trusted Computing Group Software Stack specification defines a device driver library, core services and the service provider that sit on top of the TPM. The specification's service provider is an object-oriented interface for applications that incorporate the full capabilities of a trusted platform, while the core services and device driver library provide necessary functions to manage resources and work with the TPM hardware.
The specification will be available on the organization's Web site, www.trustedcomputinggroup.org, and is available to any developer.
The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) is an open, industry standards organization formed to develop, define, and promote open standards for hardware-enabled trusted computing and security technologies, including hardware building blocks and software interfaces, across multiple platforms, peripherals, and devices. TCG specifications enable more secure computing environments without compromising functional integrity, privacy, or individual rights. The primary goal is to help users protect their information assets (data, passwords, keys, etc.) from compromise due to external software attack and physical theft. For more information, go to www.trustedcomputinggroup.org.
