Microsoft announces their Pluton Security Processor with AMD, Intel and Qualcomm

Platform security has always been a critical concern for OS developers. Still, with the growing popularity of hardware-specific cyber-attack methods, there is a growing need for platform security to start at a deeper level, and Microsoft, AMD, Intel and Qualcomm are collaborating to address this issue. 

By working with its hardware partners, Microsoft has created their Pluton Security processor, a “chip-to-cloud” security technology which has been pioneered by Microsoft’s Xbox division and Azure Sphere. Through this chip, Microsoft plans to bring security to the “very core” of Windows PC, tightly integrating hardware and software to “eliminate entire vectors of attack”. 

   Our vision for the future of Windows PCs is security at the very core, built into the CPU, where hardware and software are tightly integrated in a unified approach designed to eliminate entire vectors of attack. This revolutionary security processor design will make it significantly more difficult for attackers to hide beneath the operating system, and improve our ability to guard against physical attacks, prevent the theft of credential and encryption keys, and provide the ability to recover from software bugs.

 
At this time, it is unknown when AMD, Intel and Qualcomm will launch CPUs with Microsoft’s Pluton Security processors. Firmware updates for this security processor will be controlled through Windows, allowing users to keep their processor’s security up to date without relying on BIOS updates or other 3rd parties. 

Pluton will be easy to update and maintain and act as a security hub which is cut-off from other aspects of the user’s CPU. Sensitive data like encryption keys will be stored on the Pluton processor, preventing CPU-based side-channel attacks from accessing sensitive information. This will enhance the security of future Windows PCs, greatly improving the entire PC ecosystem.