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Comment Re:What? (Score 1) 290

If your laptop contains the credit card and health information for 1 million users, yes. It should be your biggest concern. If your laptop contains sensitive corporate information trusted to you, it should be your biggest concern. If your laptop contains information you wouldn't want public, it should be your biggest concern. If your laptop contains anything about anyone THEY wouldn't want public, it should be your biggest concern. If it contains your pr0n collection, then probably not.

The stuff in your wallet is easily cancellable and easily replaced (other than the actual cash, and any information you might have written on a scrap of paper), the stuff on your laptop, once out there in the wild.. probably not.

Regarding your USB dongle, are you certain you will *ALWAYS* remember to remove the dongle and pack it separately? What happens if you are forcibly required to give up your usb key (say, when crossing a border, and the oppressive government believes you may be a dissident or spy).

Certainly, you can still be forced to give up your password if you are willing to. But it can't be taken from you, unlike a dongle. And the master keys can't taken from a TPM if the system is shut down and correctly configured. (there are some attacks under certain conditions that can lead to exposure, but that's an implementation issue which you can control through careful selection of hardware).

Comment Re:What? (Score 1) 290

Yes, you can do FDE without a TPM, but it's nowhere near as convenient, or as secure (because inconvenience breeds insecurity). You either have to type in a boot password (as well as a login password), or you need to use a hardware dongle like a USB drive, which you will probably keep with your laptop anyways and it will probably get stolen with the laptop..

The point of the TPM is that it provides secure key storage, so you need only enter your normal login password once to unlock all secured devices. It also provides cryptographically secure randomness for better security.

Comment Re:TPM often left off (but can work FOR you). (Score 1) 290

Really? I can't find a single laptop, that isn't specifically targeted at enterprise volume customers, that ships with a TPM.

If almost all do, then you should be able to easily point out a few hundred. A dozen? 5? 1?

I'll wait.

I highly doubt that TPM 2.0 will be a requirement.. especially since TPM 2.0 isn't even a finished standard yet. And even when it is, the added cost will be a huge burden for OEM's and they will push back.

Comment Re:Why? (Score 1) 290

Who says I know nothing about the internal workings of the chip? TPM chips conform to international standards, specifically TCG, which in turn works with IETF, ISO, and the CC.

In particular, the TPM 1.2 standard is published as ISO/IEC 11889 Parts 1-4, and are completely available to you to read and understand.

On top of that, TPM chips are audited and certified by the TCG to ensure they follow the standard.

Of course you can keep pretending otherwise.. i'm sure you will...

Comment Re:What? (Score 1) 290

I know of no PC's being sold with TPM chips that are not specifically ordered with them. As such, it's easy to get hardware with a TPM, you don't specially order it. There, done.

Fact is, every laptop SHOULD come with a TPM, for full disk encryption security. Yes, yes, blah blah blah, it can be hacked with an electron microscope and a laser scalpel while standing on your head during a blue moon.. so it's useless!

Fact is, if you have a TPM, and you encrypt your disk and use the TPM to secure your keys, then the odds of your data getting in anyone elses hands if your laptop is lost are essentially nil, regardless of whether or not a TPM can be hacked, or whether or not any disk encryption scheme can theoretically be defeated. Perfect security is not practical in such applications, even if it was possible, so we have to make due with simply strong security.

Comment Re:What? (Score 1) 290

A lot of computers? Name one. Go ahead. I'll wait.

Fact is, I want a TPM, and I can't find a single commercial off the shelf Windows PC that ships with a TPM. Every vendor says that they are an option that must be specially ordered.

So please, point me to these computers that are forcing TPM's on us, i'll buy 10 tomorrow..

Comment Re:the return of the Start button (Score 1) 505

Dude. How difficult is it to tap the windows key, type "Cont" and hit enter? Ok, want it quick access? Type "Cont" and right click on the Control Panel icon and choose Pin to Start Menu, then drag it to where you want it.

Seriously, it amazes me how people think futzing around with XFCE is so easy, yet become totally fucking stupid when there's a Windows Logo on something.

Want quick access to your documents? Open explorer, right click on Documents, and choose "Pin to start". How fucking difficult is that?

Comment Re:the return of the Start button (Score 1) 505

Dude, you haven't noticed that you can group icons into columns, just like a newspaper?

http://www.askvg.com/tip-organize-windows-8-start-screen-tiles-in-groups-and-name-these-groups/

And you can shrink them down with a keystroke:

http://blogs.computerworld.com/sites/default/themes/cw_blogs/cache/files/u98/Win_8_groups.jpg

Organize your stuff.

Also, yes, you can get stuff out the start screen to the desktop. Easiest way is to pin it to the taskbar, then drag it wherever you want.

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