Intel's upcoming Sandy Bridge processors have a new feature that the chip giant is calling Anti-Theft 3.0. The processor can be disabled even if the computer has no Internet connection or isn't even turned on, over a 3G network. With Intel anti-theft technology built into Sandy Bridge, David Allen, director of distribution sales at Intel North America, told ITBusiness that users have the option to set up their processor so that if their computer is lost or stolen, it can be shut down remotely.
For those who want to protect their computers from thieves, the ability to remotely disable them sounds great. But disabling a CPU might discourage a few thieves but those technically literate criminals might not be bothered. For e.g, Most cyber criminals are after the data not the hardware itself. So if the owner disables the CPU the hard disk will still be usable & no one can stop them from accessing the hard disk from other computer. Plus the question is how will the processor be disabled? If some algorithm is implemented that will prevent it from booting then hackers might still be able to disable the algorithm. Also if the person removes all the power sources from the laptop before the owner can report it then it might be safe. Another question arises is that how will the process be initiated ? Suppose if the method is not full proof then cyber criminals might be able to disable random systems remotely. Suppose a scenario a cyber criminal remotely disables all the servers of a organization without even touching them.
These are some of the worst possible scenarios but the good thing is the new initiative that Intel has started and I can clearly see this feature to be implemented in HDDs of future which according to my opinion is much needed.
The rumors are that Microsoft is implementing a feature similar to Intel in future version of Windows OS. Which will remotely disable Windows to boot if the owner reports it and also disable the access to all the sensitive data of the user.
This clearly points to a more secure digital world in future.
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