As remote and hybrid work become the new normal, protecting corporate devices and data wherever employees are located has become more important than ever.
The Intel vPro platform is designed with built-in hardware-level security and manageability features that can help IT teams secure devices even outside the corporate network. The combination of advanced hardware-based protections and centralized manageability that Intel vPro offers ensures maximum security and control over devices in today's hybrid workforce.
Let’s dive deeper and explore 7 such critical security features of Intel vPro and why they are important for any business.
1. Hardware-based Encryption
One of the core security capabilities ofIntel vProis hardware-based encryption using Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX). SGX allows security-sensitive operations like authentication and encryption to run in secure enclaves isolated from the operating system and other software. It protects sensitive data even if the operating system is compromised.
Hardware-based encryption offloads encryption tasks from the CPU to dedicated circuits, improving performance without compromising security. This makes encryption much more practical for resource-intensive operations like full-disk encryption.
Even if a lost or stolen device is powered on outside the network, the encrypted data will remain inaccessible without authentication. Hardware-based encryption provides that extra layer of protection for sensitive corporate data.
2. Remote Manageability
Another crucial feature is remote manageability through Intel Active Management Technology (Intel AMT). IT teams can remotely monitor, repair, update and reprovisionIntel Core vPro-enabled devices even when they are powered down, out of battery or outside the corporate network.
Using AMT, administrators can remotely troubleshoot issues, deploy patches, scan for malware and other threats, reset BIOS or firmware passwords, and even remotely power on a turned-off device.
Intel AMT ensures devices require authentication before the operating system starts. This protects against threats trying to bypass security by modifying the OS at boot.
If a device is lost or stolen, administrators can lock the system or wipe the hard drive using Intel AMT, even when the OS is unavailable.
This level of out-of-band manageability is extremely useful when employees are working remotely, as it allows for fixing issues without requiring the user to be physically present. IT teams can maintain control and security over devices even outside the corporate environment.
3. Hardware-based Access Control
One of the core advantages of Intel Core vPro is that many of its security capabilities are built directly into the CPU hardware. This means threats are stopped at a very low level before they can compromise the operating system or regular software. Hardware-based protections also have the benefit of being more difficult for attackers to circumvent compared to software-only solutions.
Some of the main hardware-based security features of theIntel vPro include:
Intel Software Guard Extensions (Intel SGX): This technology provides security containers called enclaves that protect select code and data from disclosure or modification. Even privileged software like the operating system cannot access enclaved data.
Intel Boot Guard: This ensures the system only boots after verifying the integrity of the boot block and bootloaders through measurements stored in Platform Configuration Registers (PCRs).
Intel Hyper-Threading Technology physical disable: Admins can disable hyper-threading on devices through the management console for additional protection against side-channel attacks on systems with hyper-threading enabled.
The hardware-based roots of these protections make them highly resilient against both known and unknown threats. Compared to software-only security that can potentially be bypassed, hardware-level protections provide a stronger line of defense.
4. Hardware-based Visibility
Intel vPro provides hardware-based visibility into devices using Intel Standard Manageability (ISM). ISM allows IT to remotely monitor system health, inventory, usage and other attributes. Administrators get low-level hardware and firmware insights even when the OS is not accessible.
They can detect anomalies, unused resources and compliance issues. ISM reports provide a comprehensive view of the entire IT estate for better optimization, troubleshooting and security. Hardware-based visibility delivers insights that go beyond what normal software tools can detect, helping IT securely manage devices operating outside corporate environments.
5. Rapid Detection of Attacks
Intel Threat Detection Technology (Intel TDT) is another security feature that leverages dedicated circuits in Intel Core vProchips to rapidly detect malware and cyberattacks in real-time.
Intel TDT continuously monitors memory, processes and system behaviors to identify anomalies indicating compromise, even from never-before-seen threats. It can pinpoint attacks within seconds instead of the hours or days it may take with traditional security software. Fast detection is critical in today's threat landscape, where every second of infiltration needs to be minimized.
Intel TDT acts as an early warning system to alert security teams about breach attempts for prompt remediation, reducing the window for attackers to cause damage.
6. Isolated Virtualization
Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT) allows securely isolating corporate applications and data using hardware-assisted virtualization. Through Intel VT-x, sensitive workloads can run on isolated virtual machines (VMs) with protected memory access, preventing malware on the host OS or other VMs from accessing them.
Even if the host OS gets compromised, applications inside VMs remain unaffected due to the hardware isolation between VMs and the host. Isolated virtualization creates an additional layer of protection by separating workloads into hardware-enforced silos that improve security posture without impacting performance. It is especially useful for BYOD and shared devices with personal and professional data co-existing.
7. Protection from Supply Chain Attacks
The security features of Intel vPro extend to the manufacturing process as well. Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX) and Boot Guard help protect the device from supply chain attacks by ensuring only authentic, unaltered firmware and software can be run.
Using techniques like remote attestation, organizations can verify the device identity and confirm the firmware is intact before allowing access to resources. Any malware or modifications made during manufacturing or shipping will be detected.
This level of transparency into the device's provenance gives confidence against sophisticated supply chain hacks increasingly targeting hardware itself.
In Summary
From encryption and access control to isolation, detection and transparency, Intel vPro delivers multilayered protections extending from silicon to systems management. These security capabilities protect devices and their sensitive data even outside the traditional office environment. Choosing Intel vPro-based devices provides robust, enduring defenses against an evolving threat landscape for both today and future generations of attacks.