Trust Linux: Support available

The latest release of openSUSE, a Linux version rosetta stone version 3
sponsored by software maker Novell, comes packaged with software that allows users to set up a trusted computing (TC) environment on their computer, enhancing security beyond the antivirus programs and firewalls that frequently prove inadequate at keeping bugs, viruses and spyware at bay.Promoted and developed by major chipmakers and software companies in the international Trusted Computing Group, trusted computing uses both hardware and software to create a trusted and secure environment, whether on a home PC, a web server, in a data centre or over a corporate network. At the core of the technology is the trusted platform module (TPM), which is a chip that, among other security-boosting features, generates and manages cryptographic keys, verifies the identity of the computer on a network and protects software and data from malicious changes.Awakening the dormant chipMany new laptops and increasing numbers of desktop PCs and servers already have TPM chips as standard, while chipmakers such as Intel and AMD have started incorporating the technology directly into their latest generation Rosetta Stone French
of processors. However, most TPM chips are currently lying dormant, awaiting activation with the arrival of software that can make use of their enhanced security features.The hardware is there… what is needed are operating systems and software to exploit it, says Herbert Petautschnig, a researcher at Austrian technology group Technikon.Technikon led a consortium of 23 research and business partners, including AMD, IBM, HP, Infineon and Novell, in developing open source software and applications for TC environments as part of the EU-funded OpenTC project. The group's implementation of TC support in openSUSE version 11.2 involved building a trusted software stack (TSS) for Linux, developing universal virtualisation layers (including improvements to the Xen hypervisor virtual machine monitor) and creating TC and TPM management software. It constitutes a pioneering implementation of TC technology.openSUSE is now the first operating system to offer full TC support, Petautschnig notes. Until now, TC had been implemented for specific applications, such as Microsoft's BitLocker hard drive encryption Rosetta Stone French Levev 1-5
in Windows Vista and Windows 7 or the fingerprint reader on some HP laptops… With the OpenTC platform we are extending the TC environment to the full operating system and beyond, the project manager adds.Unlike traditional security technology that operates only at the software level and only starts protecting a computer after it is loaded, TC technology provides security from the moment the power button is pressed. As the system boots and runs, the OpenTC platform continually monitors the computer for changes and ensures that only trusted, verified software is functioning. In a networked environment, it verifies the identity and integrity of the computer.