The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Work Group has been chartered to create the TPM specification. The definition of the TPM architecture comes from the Technical Committee and the TPM Work Group defines the implementation of that architecture. A working knowledge of security in relation to the design and usage of cryptographic modules as well as cryptographic techniques including public-key cryptography, cryptographic algorithms and protocols is recommended.
A new research report on “Trusted Computing” published by Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE:HHS), reveals that organizations that have deployed applications based on trusted computing infrastructure exhibit superior capabilities in security governance, risk management and compliance compared to other respondents. The term “trusted computing” refers to applications that leverage hardware-based “roots of trust” at the edge of the network and at the endpoints – sometimes referred to as “hardware anchors in a sea of untrusted software” – for higher assurance.
TPMs are a basic building block used in most other specifications, for providing an anchor of trust. They can be used for validating basic boot properties before allowing network access (TNC), or for storing platform measurements (PC Client), or for providing self-measurement to provide anchors of trust to hypervisors (Virtualization).