IBM plans to start shipping its PCs with a new chip designed to thwart hackers by safeguarding passwords and other sensitive identity information. Big Blue will be the first computer maker to use National . . .
IBM plans to start shipping its PCs with a new chip designed to thwart hackers by safeguarding passwords and other sensitive identity information.

Big Blue will be the first computer maker to use National Semiconductor's SafeKeeper Trusted I/O Device, which stores a computer's identity in silicon, making it harder for outsiders to access. It's adding the technology as part of an upgraded input-output chip, which is a secondary PC chip that shuttles data from various parts of a PC.

"Security, encryption and password management are key components of IBM ThinkVantage Technologies, which simplify the PC user experience and reduce management costs for organizations of all sizes," Clain Anderson, program director in IBM's PC division, said in a statement.

National Semi said that storing such information in hardware makes it inherently more secure than software-based approaches. The chip encrypts information using a code key only accessible to a specialized processor, protecting the information from outside hackers and user error and essentially locking it to the PC.

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