<http://www.vnunet.com/print/1159101> vnunet.com Trio try for better mobile security The Trusted Mobile Platform from Intel, IBM and NTT DoCoMo aims to make mobiles a better bet for secure networking Daniel Robinson, IT Week 01 Nov 2004 Intel, IBM and mobile communications company NTT DoCoMo last week announced a set of security specifications for mobile client devices. They said the aim is to create a secure architecture for future wireless data services. The Trusted Mobile Platform specification, available via the link below, defines a set of hardware and software components plus communication protocols that can be used to build devices with various levels of security. It is intended to be an open standard, according to NTT DoCoMo chief executive Takanori Utano. The specification defines three classes of trusted mobile device (TMD), ranging from handsets with no hardware security features to those that include a trusted platform module (TPM) to handle cryptography functions and hardware-enforced separation between trusted and untrusted applications and their data. It also defines a set of protocols that allow a TMD to communicate with other platforms more securely The partnership brings together Intel's expertise in silicon and wireless devices, IBM's experience of business security and NTT DoCoMo's knowledge of security in wireless networks, the companies said. "This collaboration enhances handheld architectures to provide the trusted capabilities vital for widespread adoption of mobile commerce and enterprise usage," said Intel vice-president Sean Maloney. Chip designer ARM already includes technology called TrustZone in its latest processor cores to provide separation between secure and non-secure code. Although Intel uses ARM technology in its XScale mobile chips, the company has not disclosed whether the Trusted Mobile Platform supports technologies such as TrustZone. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah@ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'