←back to thread

The Dangers of Microsoft Pluton

(gabrielsieben.tech)
733 points gjsman-1000 | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
Show context
userbinator ◴[] No.32234457[source]
What is to prevent school WiFi from one day requiring a Pluton assertion that your Windows PC hasn’t been tampered with before you can join the network?

Remote attestation is the true enemy of your freedom. The power of the authoritarian corporatocracy to force you to use only the (entire) systems they control. It's worth reading https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.en.html again just to see how prescient Stallman was.

replies(12): >>32234704 #>>32235241 #>>32236203 #>>32236379 #>>32236408 #>>32237069 #>>32237245 #>>32238451 #>>32239672 #>>32239680 #>>32239999 #>>32240046 #
aplanas ◴[] No.32235241[source]
Windows security models and policies are the enemy, not remote attestation (RA).

RA is a technology that has its fair use, and can be desired for other systems, like in Linux. With a pure RA system your services can decide to trust or not those devices on your network that can be compromised, and report to other devices that there is something suspicious.

As anything, this can be used properly to increase the security of your edge architecture, or wrongly to limit the users actions.

Let me put another example. With RA I should be able to authorize validated systems in my R&D VPN. If you are using your own laptop with the company certificate, and the verifier tag the systems as "unknown" or "unhealthy", it will not allow the access to the internal network, but sure you can still use your laptop for anything else. This, IMHO, is a fair use of this technology.

replies(2): >>32235470 #>>32235515 #
fulafel ◴[] No.32235515[source]
Yes, lots of Linux devices apply it like that today: You can't use your banking app or consume DRM crippled media on your Android phone if you have root or run a open source Android distribution.
replies(1): >>32235557 #
Aeolun ◴[] No.32235557[source]
> if you have root

Because god forbid you have control of your own PC?

replies(6): >>32235581 #>>32235770 #>>32235990 #>>32236047 #>>32236569 #>>32237462 #
npteljes ◴[] No.32235770[source]
Yep! Basically, it's safer if you don't own your PC. Think about users with a million toolbars and Bonzi Buddy installed.

Of course, the system for it is rudimentary, and puts a disproportionate amount of control in the hands of providers. And that works very well for them too.

replies(3): >>32235924 #>>32237198 #>>32238033 #
29athrowaway[dead post] ◴[] No.32235924[source]
TheOtherHobbes ◴[] No.32236192[source]
In a sane society these features would allow secure voting.

In this one... that's not what they'll be used for.

This is the end game for the corporate internet. Not only can all your activity be logged, but if any of it is unwelcome - on any scale, from family to school to work to country to world - you can be locked out.

replies(1): >>32236240 #
1. 29athrowaway ◴[] No.32236240{3}[source]
An operating system that prevents other operating systems from being installed is the equivalent of a citizen that becomes a dictator.