New Intel Chips Support SMS Kill Switch
HED: New Intel Chips Support SMS Kill SwitchDEK: Anti Theft 3 Chips Can be disabled via 3G NetworksNew computer processors from Intel Corp, due out in 2011, can be disabled using an SMS “poison pill” message sent over any 3G cellular network, according to Intel documentation.The new anti-theft feature, which Intel has dubbed “Anti Theft 3.0” will only be available for devices using Intel’s latest Sandy Bridge microprocessors. The new feature will enable organizations to remotely disable lost or stolen laptops even if those devices are not connected to the Internet. Instead Any device within range of a 3G cell tower could be disabled using what Intel describes as an “encrypted SMS” text message. The new feature comes as organizations are looking for ways to guard against data breaches that stem from lost or stolen mobile devices, one of the biggest sources of such breaches. Intel is planning to unveil the new chips at teh Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January. The addition of a 3G “kill switch” for Intel is just the latest evolution in its hardware-based anti theft technology and has been in the works for months. Intel already offers customers the ability to disable lost or stolen devices via LAN, wirless LAN and VPN connection. However, those methods require a lost or stolen device to be connected directly to the Internet first. The 3G poison pill feature would allow technicians to trigger one or more security features so long as the stolen or lost device checked in with a 3G tower. Options include disabling access to encrypted data by deliting an encryption key stored in the chipset, disabling the laptop by blocking the boot process or both, Intel said. The term “poison pill” may be misleading, however, as Intel’s Anti Theft features also allow users to re-enable the device after the anti-theft features have been enabled. Intel has made security a key investment area, as the company prepares for a post-PC world in which “pro-sumer” mobile devices running its processors increasingly operate outside of corporate firewall, carry a mixture of personal and corporate data and leverage both WiFi and 3G connections for Internet connectivity, voice, video and more. In August, Intel purchased anti malware firm McAfee for $7.68b in a surprise move. Intel said that it was interested in baking security deeper into its hardware and avoid the traditional performance slow downs that security software produces. The Sandy Bridge chip is the successor to the Nehalem architecture and is already being distributed to Intel OEMs. The anti theft features are just one improvement on the latest generation processors, along with improved performance, a boost in the capabilities of integrated graphics features. New computer processors from Intel Corp, due out in 2011, can be disabled using an SMS “poison pill” message sent over any 3G cellular network, according to published reports.
