Zack's Kernel News

Zack's Kernel News

Article from Issue 230/2020

Author(s): Zack Brown

Zack Brown reports on: Trusted Computing and Linux; Load Balancer Improvements; and New Random Number Handling.

Trusted Computing and Linux

Sumit Garg posted a new version of the Trusted Keys subsystem for the Linux kernel, essentially targeting support for Trusted Platform Module (TPM) devices.

The general idea behind TPM technology is that the TPM chip manages access to a given device by encrypting its firmware and creating a corresponding hash value that is stored on a central server. When the system tries to use the device, the TPM hashes the firmware and compares it with what's on the central server. If they match, the user can use the device. Otherwise, they can't.

The goal is to prevent computer system owners from controlling their own systems and to give control to large companies such as Microsoft, who can then make decisions about what software is or is not allowed to be used on that system.

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