- Joined
- Nov 15, 2021
A FAQ:
What is TPM?
TPM is an ISO/IEC standard for hardware-level security that was officially defined in 2009. It first appeared as motherboard modules, but has been integral to most mainstream CPUs since 2017.
Is it a Microsoft thing?
No. It is a hardware-level implementation, these days on the CPU itself. Microsoft does not make CPUs.
Is it a Windows thing?
No, it is hardware-level security. Software can take advantage of the feature. Recent versions of Windows, Linux, Oracle Solaris, and FreeBSD all support TPM.
Does it phone home?
No. TPM doesn't include any networking protocol. If your fancy new Ryzen 7800X3D is phoning home to reveal your secrets to the feds, it's not because of TPM.
What does it do?
The main thing it does is make sure that there haven't been any unexpected, low-level changes to your computer - no sneaky changes to your BIOS, no spoofed hardware, etc. It also protects against brute-force attempts to log in to your computer and data theft.
Why was it created?
Security is an arms race. Lately, firmware-level attacks have become popular attack vectors, meaning that the malware is loaded into your system before any traditional antivirus mechanism could conceivably quarantine it. Moreover, now that every computer is always online, the whole planet's an attack surface. TPM adoption was heavily driven by corporate IT, what with more and more employees getting laptops, but these days, it's in pretty much everything, including all your Internet of Shit devices that you infest your house with. The most notable exception is Apple - they have their own hardware security called T2. And no, it's not optional.
Why does Microsoft require it now?
Because the average person is a retard, so leaving security up to the average person means leaving it up to retards. Like it or not, Microsoft has become the world's IT office, meaning that when 1337 h4xx0rs pwn your Boomer mother, she calls Microsoft and demands they fix it, somehow. The solution is not to hope and pray that people stop using p@ssw0rd123, it's to take choices away from them.
But I don't want security forced on me. I want to leave my front door open and a trail of $20 bills leading to my house.
Then use Linux. Linux has all the flexibility you need to completely disable any and all security-related features. You can even find genius-level help to disable that pesky root password if you put your mind to it.
But I want to be able to connect to Microsoft services while having a computer that's as clean and safe as a San Francisco bathhouse floor.
Yeah, well, too bad.
What is TPM?
TPM is an ISO/IEC standard for hardware-level security that was officially defined in 2009. It first appeared as motherboard modules, but has been integral to most mainstream CPUs since 2017.
Is it a Microsoft thing?
No. It is a hardware-level implementation, these days on the CPU itself. Microsoft does not make CPUs.
Is it a Windows thing?
No, it is hardware-level security. Software can take advantage of the feature. Recent versions of Windows, Linux, Oracle Solaris, and FreeBSD all support TPM.
Does it phone home?
No. TPM doesn't include any networking protocol. If your fancy new Ryzen 7800X3D is phoning home to reveal your secrets to the feds, it's not because of TPM.
What does it do?
The main thing it does is make sure that there haven't been any unexpected, low-level changes to your computer - no sneaky changes to your BIOS, no spoofed hardware, etc. It also protects against brute-force attempts to log in to your computer and data theft.
Why was it created?
Security is an arms race. Lately, firmware-level attacks have become popular attack vectors, meaning that the malware is loaded into your system before any traditional antivirus mechanism could conceivably quarantine it. Moreover, now that every computer is always online, the whole planet's an attack surface. TPM adoption was heavily driven by corporate IT, what with more and more employees getting laptops, but these days, it's in pretty much everything, including all your Internet of Shit devices that you infest your house with. The most notable exception is Apple - they have their own hardware security called T2. And no, it's not optional.
Why does Microsoft require it now?
Because the average person is a retard, so leaving security up to the average person means leaving it up to retards. Like it or not, Microsoft has become the world's IT office, meaning that when 1337 h4xx0rs pwn your Boomer mother, she calls Microsoft and demands they fix it, somehow. The solution is not to hope and pray that people stop using p@ssw0rd123, it's to take choices away from them.
But I don't want security forced on me. I want to leave my front door open and a trail of $20 bills leading to my house.
Then use Linux. Linux has all the flexibility you need to completely disable any and all security-related features. You can even find genius-level help to disable that pesky root password if you put your mind to it.
But I want to be able to connect to Microsoft services while having a computer that's as clean and safe as a San Francisco bathhouse floor.
Yeah, well, too bad.
