alt Hacker News> TSME isn't a critical security feature for most consumer desktops, as it protects against attacks where the attacker needs physical access to the device.
If you think it's hard to gain physical access to a consumer desktop, you're out of touch. Most desktops aren't locked inside a datacenter. Memory encryption is a valuable desktop (and laptop) security feature.
Replies
cwillu • yesterday at 11:21 PM
If the bad guys have physical access to my consumer desktop, I'm already well and truly fucked.
rr808 • yesterday at 10:48 PM
The last few companies have all had desktops in datacenters with the local PC just a virtual terminal.
CivBase • yesterday at 10:07 PM
You'd need physical access while it is running as the target is using it.
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So my PC runs 5% slower because someone could break into my house to get physical access to decrypt memory? OK sure, but not my top concern, and a bad tradeoff for the lost performance. And not only fair, but completely accurate to describe TSME as non-critical for *most* consumer desktops. I'd go as far as to say useless and counter-productive for most, but not all, consumer desktops.