Jake Williams, a former member of the NSA's elite Tailored Access Operations Unit, told iTWire in response to queries that the chip was unlikely to provide any protection against ransomware.
Ransomware is the major scourge that affects Windows systems these days, with the attackers who use this genre of malware hitting bigger and bigger targets with each passing month and apparently unafraid to expand their operations.
When the Microsoft Pluton security processor was announced, the company's director of Enterprise and OS Security, David Weston, said in a blog post: "Windows PCs using the Pluton architecture will first emulate a TPM that works with the existing TPM specifications and APIs, which will allow customers to immediately benefit from enhanced security for Windows features that rely on TPMs like BitLocker and System Guard."
"Beyond hardware-specific attacks, this also should assist in firmware security which is inherently a difficult thing. In most hardware designs, to learn anything about the firmware that's loaded, you have to ask the firmware itself. It should be obvious why this is less than an ideal situation.
"So really, the two areas this is targeting are hardware modification attacks (think supply chain), and firmware modification attacks, which may also happen via supply chain attack."
Williams, who now runs an independent security outfit known as Rendition Infosec, said an important question to be asked was why someone would pay more to implement this new security device.
"I mean, I guess anyone seriously concerned with supply chain attacks is the answer for who cares, but maybe the better question is will they find enough value proposition for what will undoubtedly be an increased cost," he added.
Microsoft has not given any date for introducing the new processor.
