The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) has released three final specifications for hardware-level data encryption, and virtually all the major storage

manufacturers have declared that they intend to adopt the new standards in the near future. Self-encrypted disks are already available on the market—

Seagate has been actively pushing its DriveTrust technology for several years—but there was no central standard for drive encryption developers to

refer to. The two new encryption standards provide a blueprint for desktop, laptops, and enterprise-level protection, while the third (dubbed the

Storage Interface Interactions Specification) details how self-encrypted drives should interact with various communication protocols.

These new encryption methods do not require the presence of a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), but it’s hard to imagine why an OEM would bother to build

a system using self-encrypting hard drives and not include one. The TCG expects self-encrypting drives (and presumably TPM modules) to become

ubiquitous across the enterprise/business market over the next few years. “With 48 states and many countries enforcing data protection laws, it has

become crucial for enterprises to protect all data to avoid fines, lawsuits or even being put out of business. Encryption with authentication directly

in the drive or enterprise storage devices as outlined in the Trusted Computing Group specifications is one of the most effective ways to ensure data

is secure against virtual and physical attacks,” noted Jon Oltsik, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group.

Click here to read the rest of this article

Originally Syndicated via RSS from Ars Technica – Front page content