Microsoft announces Pluton security processor for future Windows PCs

Sensitive data including credentials, user identities, encryption keys, and personal data can be removed from Pluton even if an attacker has installed malware or has complete physical possession of the PC. This is accomplished by storing all of the information securely within the Pluton processor, which is isolated from the rest of the system, ensuring that emerging attack techniques such as speculative execution, cannot access key material.

Microsoft, in collaboration with leading silicon partners like AMD, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Intel has unveiled a new security processor that will bring even more security advancements to future Windows PCs.

Today, the heart of operating system security on most PCs lives in a chip separate from the CPU, but, Pluton's design makes it possible to build security directly into the CPU. Microsoft claims that the security processor's design will make it significantly more difficult for attackers to hide beneath the operating system, and improve its ability to guard against physical attacks, prevent the theft of credential and encryption keys, and provide the ability to recover from software bugs.

Sensitive data including credentials, user identities, encryption keys, and personal data can be removed from Pluton even if an attacker has installed malware or has complete physical possession of the PC. This is accomplished by storing all of the information securely within the Pluton processor, which is isolated from the rest of the system, ensuring that emerging attack techniques such as speculative execution, cannot access key material.

Leveraging the Secure Hardware Cryptography Key (SHACK), the Pluton security processor provides an unprecedented level of security to Windows PC users. The unique technology helps ensure that keys are never exposed outside of the protected hardware, even to the Pluton firmware itself.

"We believe that processors with built-in security like Pluton are the future of computing hardware. With Pluton, our vision is to provide a more secure foundation for the intelligent edge and the intelligent cloud by extending this level of built-in trust to devices, and things everywhere," Microsoft said.

Furthermore, Pluton helps in keeping the system firmware up to date across the entire PC ecosystem. It provides a flexible, updatable platform for running firmware that implements end-to-end security functionality authored, maintained, and updated by Microsoft.

The Pluton design was introduced as part of the integrated hardware and OS security capabilities in the Microsoft Xbox One console released in 2013 in partnership with AMD and also within Azure Sphere.