Microsoft To Deliver Azure Sphere, a Linux-based Chip and Cloud Security Service, in February 2020 (zdnet.com) 29
Microsoft officials said the company's Azure Sphere microcontroller (MCU) and associated cloud security service will be generally available in February 2020. From a report: Microsoft also introduced new branding today for the ThreadX RTOS technology it acquired when it bought Express Logic in April 2019. Going forward, this product will be known as Azure RTOS. ThreadX is one of the most-deployed real-time operating systems in the world. Today, Microsoft said that Renesesas, a major microcontroller manufacturer, announced that Azure RTOS will be be broadly available across its products, including the Synergy and RA MCU families. Microsoft has been working for at least a couple of years to secure low-cost Internet-connected devices. Microsoft Research's "Project Sopris" was all about creating a highly secure microcontroller. That project morphed into Azure Sphere, which Microsoft announced in April 2018. The first Azure Sphere chip was the MediaTek MT3620, which included an onboard security subsystem MIcrosoft christened "Pluton." The Azure Sphere OS included a Microsoft-developed custom Linux kernel, plus secured application containers.
Really ??? !!! (Score:1)
"one of the" ... (Score:2)
It is like the "up to" of marketing. "Not the least used... including obscure ones" is all it means.
I should tell the sales guy I will pay "up to" A TRILLION DOLLARS for his product. And them actually pay 1 cent, when he bites and the contract is signed. :)
I should also have my own terms and conditions, in extreme legalese, somewhere along the lines of the HUMANCENTiPAD one.
I want a world, where I get to treat them like they treat us, even if just for a day.
Re: (Score:2)
The marketing says so, and marketing never lies.
I'm so excited I just can't hide it (Score:2)
Firstly: Microsoft delivers security now? Like they're renowned for that... Seriously?
Secondly: baking Microsoft "security" in a chip? I don't think so. Not on any of my PCBs that's for sure.
Finally: it's probably not called Azure for nothing: I expect the damn chip to call home and report everything that passes through it to its cloudy namesake. Again, not for me, nosiree...
Re: (Score:3)
The security in this new chip was originally developed for the Xbox One.
This guy from the Xbox team
https://www.platformsecuritysu... [platformse...summit.com]
talks about the Xbox One security (and what makes it so good and so resistant to hacks) and then talks about how they are using the same technology for Azure Sphere.
Say what you will about the security (or lack thereof) of Windows and some other MS products but the Xbox One still hasn't been hacked (at least I can't find any evidence that its been hacked in the way the original
Re: (Score:2)
It's actually good that a lot of small MCUs and SoCs are getting better security. A lot of them are pretty bland and don't have any hardened features, suitable mosty for a low security consumer market (wifi and preshared keys).
Source code... (Score:2)
"The Azure Sphere OS included a Microsoft-developed custom Linux kernel,"
Cool, where's the source code published?
Re:Source code... (Score:5, Informative)
Ah, search for "sphere" here: https://3rdpartysource.microso... [microsoft.com]
Re: (Score:2)
It probably means they only rolled their own Linux kernel and left off the stuff they didn't need.
Re: (Score:2)
Year of desktop Linux is more remote than ever (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Sadly, this is a legit concern.
"Embrace, extend, extinguish"
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Zealots are never happy. How do you even extinguish something you make available under open source licenses?
Re:Year of desktop Linux is more remote than ever (Score:4, Insightful)
Linux is imploding by its own means, not Microsoft's. Rewrite half of /etc every 5 years? Sure why not. Not include "traceroute" or even "route" on new distros? Yeah great when I'm trying to troubleshoot routing and can't connect to any repositories. Have a problem and need to google it? Better restrict that search to only go back three years or your results will be worthless. Systemd claims to not be a monolith of everything after all its a collection of many smaller programs. Great, can I pick and choose among them or is it all or nothing? Things that have been fine for decades (literally) have now been re-written simply because they were old. Part of the "not invented here" syndrome.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: Year of desktop Linux is more remote than ever (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Now that Microsoft put their claws into it, I'm quite convinced that 2020 will be the year that Linux starts to suck for everyone, not just the systemd haters. Well, it was fun while it lasted.
*BSD, here I come.
Nobody wants it anyway! (Score:2, Offtopic)
Let'd be frank. The "desktop" always was a stupid metaphor, to sell it to the PHBs.
And the point of Linux always was, to be OUR OS. An OS for computer users. As opposed to software-based appliance users.
That is why every attempt to put it "on the desktop" of appease "the average user", raped and ruined our Linux a bit.
Sure, built a shitty interface for the mentally-disabled-by-choice or -by-social-pressure kind of crowd ... but not at the cost of ruining it for us! Make your own damn thing! You can build on
Sorry. Too many typos. (Score:2)
*lot* was meant to be *not*.
The other ones are hopefully understandable.
Sorry. I should not write on a *fucking stupid* touch screen / phone interface! It should not even exist!
Re: (Score:2)
Apple managed to make a damn fine UNIX based OS. Although anymore Linux is so far removed from UNIX it's a completely different animal. I'd actually run a Hackintosh but have the suspicion that one day Apple will enable their security chip and lock out all non Apple hardware.
Re: Nobody wants it anyway! (Score:1)
Microsoft-developed custom Linux kernel (Score:1)
Will this Microsoft-developed custom Linux kernel come with the full Source Code?
Re: (Score:1)
You have no way to verify the checksum once compiled, it runs behind the Azure curtain...
Data Point (Score:2)
Element14 gave away a huge number of these Azure Sphere dev kits, like 20,000 of them, to kickstart development on them. Mine is studiously measuring the CO2 concentration, temperature, and humidity in my office.
Is the clown driving the Free Candy Van??? (Score:1)
Not sure I would fall for that, every other time it has been a trick or hoax. Microsoft and security in the same sentence. We are at the point when you spot a wolf it is really a wolf.