Microsoft's anti-monopoly case new breakthrough Windows 10 or need to strip trusted computing

Computer Store News: & ldquo; For more than half a year, we have had several negotiations with Microsoft. We hope that Microsoft can achieve localization in accordance with China's laws and regulations, but the negotiations have yet to bear fruit. "Shen Changxiang is the person in charge of the Microsoft network security review. He laughed and said, "Every time the struggle is fierce, we must stick to the security of cybersecurity, and Microsoft is not only a commercial company, but its decision needs to pass through the United States. Approval. ” The SAIC's anti-monopoly investigation against Microsoft has seen a new breakthrough. Recently, a number of experts interviewed by reporters called: "Microsoft's behavior of bundling the Trusted Computing Architecture in the operating system is suspected of violating the Anti-Monopoly Law. The Win 10 operating system should divest trusted computing. & rdquo;

Trusted Computing is a concept proposed by the FTCS (International Fault Tolerant Computing Conference) in the 1990s. It is a new computing model for active immunity that is both computational and protective. More than 200 companies around the world are driving the development of trusted computing. Microsoft launched the Trusted Computing (TwC) program in 2002 and bundled it in Vista, Win 8, and Win 10, but it was not bundled in XP and Win 7. In fact, in the EU's antitrust investigation against Microsoft, “bundled sales” is the main performance of Microsoft's abuse of market dominance to obtain monopoly interests. However, because the EU anti-monopoly investigation is aimed at Microsoft's market behavior before 2000, the EU mainly penalized Microsoft's behavior of bundling browsers and anti-virus software, and the trusted computing from 2002 did not enter the survey list.

At present, China's trusted computing products are also mature on Microsoft's XP and Win 7 systems. "But Microsoft has monopolized the PC market. After Win 10 is bound to Microsoft's trusted computing, China's trusted computing industry will completely lose access to the market. "In the interview," said Ni Guangnan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, in an interview with reporters. "We should ask Microsoft to provide a version of Win10 that has been stripped of trusted computing. Before it is provided, it can impose a fine on Microsoft in the same way as the EU. "And, Ni Guangnan stressed that the review of bundled trusted computing should even be ranked in front of the behavior of bundling browsers and anti-virus software," because this not only affects the industry, but also seriously threatens China. Network security. ”

Confidence in Trusted Computing

<quo; China Trusted Computing was officially established in 1992 and began to be scaled up. It has formed a trusted computing platform password scheme and a trusted platform control module. Independent innovation system in trusted motherboards, trusted infrastructure support software, and trusted network connections. Recently, Shen Changxiang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and an authoritative expert in the field of network security, said in an interview that trusted computing can achieve active defense of computer systems compared to traditional firewalls, intrusion detection, virus prevention and other passive defense network security systems. With features such as identification, status measurement, and secure storage, it can provide a higher level of security protection and support new information technologies such as cloud computing and the Internet of Things.

In 2014, more than 60 domestic enterprises, such as China Electronic Information Industry Group, ZTE Corporation and Huasheng Tiancheng, jointly launched the Zhongguancun Trusted Computing Industry Alliance to accelerate the ecological environment of trusted computing industrialization. .

At present, China's independent trusted computing has been applied to important systems such as the State Grid and CCTV information systems. Moreover, the use of China's trusted computer system for the security hardening of Windows XP, Win 7 operating system, has also achieved good results. The Windows operating system of the domestic government department is loaded with Trusted Computing Protection.

But after Microsoft bundled trusted computing in Vista, Win 8, and Win 10 systems, domestic trusted computing products are no longer compatible with Microsoft operating systems. Shen Changxiang introduced: "According to Microsoft's current market position, if Win 10 is equipped with trusted computing and fully pushed open, the domestic trusted computing industry will be wiped out. ”

In fact, trusted computing is not a must-have feature of the operating system. In addition to Microsoft, various Linux operating systems and Apple MAC systems at home and abroad are not bundled with trusted computing. Moreover, Ni Guangnan told reporters: "Trusted technology can be widely deployed on many systems and devices, not limited to a scenario of PC operating system. Microsoft bundles its own trusted computing on Win10, which not only limits other trusted computing products. The right to enter the PC operating system market is also not conducive to many companies to extend trusted technology to a wider range of applications. ”

But as of press time, Microsoft has not responded to the reporter's interview request.

Microsoft localization?

It should be pointed out that the bundled trusted computing of Microsoft operating system not only affects the development of the domestic trusted computing industry, but also threatens China's network security strategy. Although it is uncertain whether the anti-monopoly investigation of the SAIC will make progress in the field of bundled trusted computing, the cybersecurity review of Microsoft Trusted Computing has already begun and is progressing to a critical moment.

& ldquo; When Vista was equipped with trusted computing in 2006, we had a discussion. & nbsp; Shen Changxiang introduced that the conclusion at the time was to ban the sale of Vista in the field of government procurement. Later, Win 8, also equipped with trusted computing, was also banned in government procurement, while the unbound Win 7 system was included in the procurement catalog and accounted for more than half of the Chinese government procurement market.

  After Win 10 was launched, we had a detailed discussion with Microsoft. In terms of security, Win 10 is indeed more complete than Win 8, and we also hope to introduce Win 10 system, but only if it meets our laws, regulations and standards. "Chen Changxiang said that Win 10 must comply with the provisions of the "Electronic Signature Law" on identity authentication in China, and the provisions of the "Commercial Password Management Regulations" on password approval, but at present, Win 10 does not meet these two legal requirements, its password The technical standards adopted for signatures do not conform to Chinese standards.

“ For more than half a year, we have had several negotiations with Microsoft. We hope that Microsoft can achieve localization in accordance with China's laws and regulations, but the negotiations have yet to bear fruit. "Shen Changxiang is the person in charge of the Microsoft network security review. He laughed and said, "Every time the struggle is fierce, we must stick to the security of cybersecurity, and Microsoft is not only a commercial company, but its decision needs to pass through the United States. Approval. ”

In fact, more than a decade ago, Microsoft was close to localization. In 2003, Microsoft and domestic companies established the China Information Security Product Evaluation and Certification Center source code viewing laboratory, and authorized the opening of the operating system to seven units including the Ministry of Public Security Third Research Institute, the National Information Security Infrastructure Research Center, and the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation. Source code and promise to develop a localized operating system.

Shen Changxiang recalled: "At the time, China invested a lot of manpower and material resources to do this. Finally, when the product is about to land, Microsoft said ‘ sorry, failed to pass the US government approval & rsquo;. In the end, Microsoft only compensated millions of things, and many of our efforts have been lost. & rdquo;

& nbsp; Now, Win 10 can cooperate with China's local trusted computing industry to achieve localization, this program is feasible, win-win from technology, commerce and law. & rdquo; Shen Changxiang said, "Now wait for Microsoft to go through the US government approval. ”