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The next step in trusted computing makes its debut

Trusted computing is coming, one way or another. It has been touted as a boon …

Trusted Network Connect (TNC) has arrived—in prototype form, at least—at the RSA Security Conference in San Jose. TNC is the brainchild of Trusted Computing Group (TCG), which consists of players like Microsoft, IBM, Intel, AMD, HP, and Sun, among others, and promises big changes to computing and networks in coming years. With that much economic horsepower behind TNC, you know it's something we'll be getting whether we like it or not, so just what the heck is it? I could paraphrase, but I think the TCG web site explains it in nicely-constructed corporatese:

Trusted Network Connect (TNC) is an open, non-proprietary specification that enables the application and enforcement of security requirements for endpoints connecting to the corporate network. The TNC architecture helps IT organizations enforce corporate configuration requirements and to prevent and detect malware outbreaks, as well as the resulting security breaches and downtime in multi-vendor networks.

Clear? I thought so. For anyone not interested in playing along at home, I'll translate: in base form, TNC is a way for networks to determine what software and hardware components are running on a machine, what components should be running on that machine, and whether that machine will be allowed access to a network. It's a kissin' cousin to the controversial Trusted Platform Module (TPM) that has been showing up in some computers for a while, perhaps most notably in the new Mactel machines.

In enterprise situations, there's a lot for an administrator to like about TNC. One of the ongoing problems faced by network admins is the fact that users, well... exist. Users, especially irresponsible ones, can generate huge security holes when they download and install files containing potential malware, open malicious e-mail attachments, etc. Assuming TNC works as advertised, any computer or device not meeting the specifications authorized by an administrator can be banned or quarantined from access to the network. That situation alone would have to make many an administrator's top-ten list.

Alas, all is not heavenly in TNC-world. Implementing TNC properly requires that the entire network be made TNC-compliant. That means there's a lot for vendors to like about TNC as well, since they stand to sell a lot more stuff. Networks can be constructed to accept non-TNC devices, but that opens up the same security holes. Additionally, the more devices attached to a network, the more possible configurations that exist, resulting in more maintainance overhead to keep up with alterations and updates.

Quite a few of us have worked at jobs where the computers—many of them at least—were embarassingly old. It's a perfectly logical outcome of the fact that most organizations which don't rely on the latest and greatest technology are perfectly happy to replace machines on an as-needed basis. That bodes poorly for short-term TCN acceptance, which probably faces a very long (if inevitable) adoption process.

Enough about the enterprise, I know you're wondering how the home user fits into all of this. We lone souls typing in the wilderness will not be forgotten, as TCG has plans for us as well.

... some members of the Trusted Computing Group (TCG), the industry alliance that developed the technology, are already saying that it be used on the wider Internet.

"A billion PCs will have this capability in the next 5 ? 7 years and it will be our primary way to authenticate to all services," says Steven Sprague, CEO of Wave Systems, whose software is used in the RSA prototypes. "Any network administrator and any CTO at a service provider should be figuring out how to leverage this really low-cost, very secure technology."

That's right. Once TNC becomes commonplace, an attempt will likely be made to apply it to computers on the Internet as well. Since the Internet is far too big to make a good candidate for TNC's security features, I have to assume that the technology would be used for a purpose less with the well-being of the end-user in mind and more to the benefit of the software manufacturers: anti-piracy, perhaps? In the long run, it may be discovered that TNC has the capability to be a double-edged sword, with its trusted computing features turned around for use in darknets and other illicit activities.

Tighter DRM has already been suggested as a likely consequence of TNC's relative, TPM, and since they both come from the same organization, it doesn't seem to be an unreasonable leap of logic to suggest that's where TNC might be headed as well. I'll try to avoid sounding too much like a conspiracy-theorist on this. I think TNC has probably been developed for the reasons that have been stated publicly, but I also think it's naive to suppose that some of the companies involved won't try to take advantage of its additional capabilities if given the opportunity.

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