A Practical Guide to Trusted Computing

Practical Guide to Trusted Computing
The TPM was developed by members of the Trusted Computing Group in order to establish an industry standard for a trusted computing subsystem to be added to PCs. The TPM is an open, freely downloadable specification that is now being embedded in hardware from major industry players including Dell, IBM and HP. This book is designed to provide developers with a practical understanding of how to use the Trusted Platform Module. (TPM) Through multiple examples, it provides the reader with an understanding of what problems the TPM can be used to solve, and the motivation behind the design decisions made in the specifications. After reading this book, the reader should better understand the security problems facing PC clients today and how to use the capabilities of a TPM, via the standard APIs to solve many of those problems. The TPM is a technology that assists with encryption at the hardware level instead of the software level. This makes it more difficult for hackers to break into the system. While major industry players are embedding the technology, it is still controversial particularly the features remote attestation, binding, and sealing which are viewed as potential threats to privacy and restrictiveness, in the same manner as Digital Rights Management.