Microsoft has announced a partnership with Lenovo, which will be the first manufacturer to put the Redmond company’s new security chips into a lineup of notebook computers. The ThinkPad Z family, announced this Tuesday (4) during CES 2022, will feature components that prevent physical manipulation of hardware integrated into Ryzen processors.
The platform, called Pluton, is already used in microcontrollers aimed at cloud computing and also in the Xbox line, as a way to prevent piracy or alteration by those who have physical access to the equipment. Now, they are making their debut on computers as a way, for example, to prevent connectors between different units from being altered to capture traffic data or security flaws present in the components’ firmware, among other face-to-face explorations.
It is also an additive to such protections that are available at the software level and appear, for example, in Windows or on systems provided by Intel. The technology is directly integrated into the processor’s silicon, keeping cryptographic keys and other sensitive elements isolated from the other components, with Microsoft betting on an impossible removal of such contents even with the use of advanced malware techniques or physical manipulation.
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In the case of Lenovo notebooks, focused on end users and business, one of the uses of the technology will be in the protection of biometric credentials of the Windows Hello system. They are now more isolated to attacks and not even the chip’s firmware has access to such elements, as explained by Microsoft.
The company also emphasizes greater integration between hardware and software, with security flaws and openings discovered later that can be corrected by software updates, since Pluton is directly linked to the Windows update system. Additional configurations can be done by device manufacturers as well as network administrators, with the possibility even to turn off protection completely, although this is far from the recommendation.
The ThinkPad Z line consists of two models, which should reach the international market in May. The family is one of the highlights among Lenovo’s releases, too, for bringing new colors and using recycled materials in its composition.
