Enhanced Data Security for Consumer Products

IBM has announced a new technology designed to greatly increase the security of consumer products, medical devices, defense systems and digital media. Developed by IBM Research and codenamed “Secure Blue,” the new technology helps enable mainframe-inspired security typically only available in data centers.

Secure Blue protects the confidentiality and integrity of information on a device through encryption, encoding it to prevent its unauthorized use, even from an adversary that has physical access to or control of the device. As the use of various forms of digital devices becomes increasingly widespread and more essential, information becomes more distributed and thus more vulnerable, making strong security increasingly important since devices can be lost or stolen. Encryption techniques have long been employed on high-end systems, but the technologies are traditionally expensive and have considerable impact on system performance, making them impractical for consumer products. Secure Blue is the first technology to make encryption practical even for low-cost, relatively low performance electronics.

IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions will work with clients and partners across key consumer electronic, medical, government and digital media industries in the integration of Secure Blue into products and solutions. IBM Technology Collaboration Solutions will license the technology, provide engineering, collaboration and design services to implement Secure Blue into customer designs, and even help manufacture the product for clients.

Security is of paramount importance in electronic systems, as more and more personal and financial data is being transmitted and stored electronically. Exposures exist anywhere that data resides, which is increasingly moving from secure data centers to less secure PCs, cell phones and PDAs that are attached to equally vulnerable wireless networks.

Secure Blue is a security architecture that can be built into a microprocessor chip that provides capabilities that have not been previously available in embedded processor products. It protects the security of microprocessor chips as well as the security of an entire microprocessor-based device. Because it is based on secure hardware rather than software techniques, it provides strong protection for secrets and strong defenses against reverse-engineering and tampering. Secure Blue can be used to protect the confidentiality of all the information on a device including documents, presentations and software as well as the keys that are used for communications security or digital signatures.

Youth Downloading Drops 17 Percent

The results of a recent national US survey released by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) show that the amount of illegal downloading by American youth (ages 8 to 18) has dropped by 17 percent in the last two years. In 2004, 60 percent of survey participants reported illegally downloading either software, music, movies or games, while in 2006 the percentage who illegally downloaded dropped to 43 percent. The factors motivating the decrease show that they are heeding alerts to the potential threats of illegal downloading.

When survey participants were asked what worries them about downloading software, music, movies or games from the Internet without paying, the top responses given were fear of downloading a computer virus (63 percent), downloading spyware (52 percent) and getting in trouble with the law (49 percent). Fear of getting in trouble with parents ranked fourth with youth (40 percent).

Comparing the new study results prepared by Harris Interactive with those from a survey Harris conducted for BSA in 2004 also shows the following:

• In 2004, 22 percent of children reported they illegally downloaded software without paying for it while 14 percent in 2006 admitting to doing so.

• In 2004, 53 percent of youth admitted to illegally downloading music, while in the 2006 study 32 percent report doing so.

• In 2004, 32 percent of children reported they illegally downloaded games versus 25 percent in 2006.

• 17 percent admitted to illegally downloading movies in 2004, whereas just 10 percent admitted to doing so in 2006.

In surveying adults about what they believe children think, they correctly responded that children worry most about getting a virus. But, adults believe getting in trouble with parents (52 percent) is a greater concern with children than the youth (40 percent).

“Kids probably assume that whatever punishment they will receive from their parents will be far less unpleasant than either getting a computer virus or getting in trouble with the law,” said Dr. Laurence Steinberg, psychology professor at Temple University and author of “You and Your Adolescent.” “This suggests that one thing parents might do with their kids is stress the possible legal consequences and virus problems.”

Additional 2006 report findings:

• Unpaid software and movie downloads don’t start until the teen years.

• There is no difference in reported unpaid downloads of games by age, suggesting that games are one reason that eight- to nine-year-olds go online.

• Interest in downloading music starts in the 10 to 12 age range and increases exponentially to at least age 18.

For the BSA-Harris survey results factsheet, please visit www.bsa.org/usa/research/upload/Youth-Downloading-Fact-Sheet.pdf