Trusted Computing and SGX?

[phaolo]

Hello, does anyone know anything sure about these technologies?

 

1- Trusted Computing

It seemed scary since its origin, but any real news about it have been scarce.

The few sites about it vanished in smoke (*tinfoil hat*), but a video survived: Lafkon

 

TC is currently supported in various mobos and cpus, usually non K (eg: i5-6600 vs i5-6600K)

 

2- Software Guard Extensions

I've read that this SGE will be in every Skylake (except early models).

Some concerns about it: SGX, the good, the bad and the downright ugly

 

--

 

I'm quite worried as these technologies seem potentially bad.

Could they allow hidden DRM, undetectable spyware or even enable software\file deletion by companies\governments?

 

(but let's not talk about Win10.. sigh)

Edited November 28, 2015 by phaolo

[GrofLuigi]

First time I heard about SGX. It sounds like Microsoft's wet dream (Windows SmartScreen filter on steroids), or "use only trusted programs by us, not by you", possibly "pay pay program start" and even running the whole OS inside those "enclaves" so the users can't touch anything. And the biggest enclave is reserved for telemetry.

 

Edited November 28, 2015 by GrofLuigi

[phaolo]

It sounds like Microsoft's wet dream (Windows SmartScreen filter on steroids), or "use only trusted programs by us, not by you", possibly "pay program start" and even running the whole OS inside those "enclaves" so the users can't touch anything. And the biggest enclave is reserved for telemetry.

The horror!

Btw, I'm wondering if I could still disable them in the BIOS or be safe with an old Win7.

Edited November 29, 2015 by phaolo

[phaolo]

BUMP

 

Doesn't anyone have a Skylake here?

Can someone check the BIOS?

Edited November 30, 2015 by phaolo

[phaolo]

Here I received an answer.

Hopefully it's correct

Edited December 6, 2015 by phaolo

[jaclaz]

Hopefully it's correct 

 

You should see the half full glass, you buy a Skylake and you have no easy way to know if the actual specimen in your hands has (or has not) SGX, this could become a nice game for betting....

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9687/software-guard-extensions-on-specific-skylake-cpus-only

 

However, JFYI:

https://t.co/1bzuFxBJtZ

 

 

jaclaz

[Kelsenellenelvian]

The glass is simply twice as big as it needs to be. .....

[phaolo]

this could become a nice game for betting....

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9687/software-guard-extensions-on-specific-skylake-cpus-only

 

However, JFYI:

https://t.co/1bzuFxBJtZ

Fingers crossed..

 

Anyway, I'm going to use Win7, remember the GGK thread ; )

[jaclaz]

 

Anyway, I'm going to use Win7, remember the GGK thread ; )

 

Well, if you still have your tinfoil hat on , what makes you think that they couldn't deliver SGX kernel support to 7 through Windows Update?

 

jaclaz

[phaolo]

Well, if you still have your tinfoil hat on , what makes you think that they couldn't deliver SGX kernel support to 7 through Windows Update?

I'm simply going to turn Win Update off.

I'll just manually install\slipstream what doesn't seem evil (like all that telemetry,Win10 crap).

Edited December 6, 2015 by phaolo

[phaolo]

You should see the half full glass, you buy a Skylake and you have no easy way to know if the actual specimen in your hands has (or has not) SGX, this could become a nice game for betting

Well, it seems that I've received a SR2BV model, so.. no SGX!

Hopefully I've avoided a crappy feature and not something great '

 

Now I'll have to deal with BIOS options (update done), then OS image + setup.

 

Do you have any advice about some important BIOS settings?

Edited December 19, 2015 by phaolo