The trusted PC: skin-deep security

Current efforts to secure the PCs traditionally open architecture will give consumers two unattractive choices: They will either have to pay a huge premium for an unwieldy system that employs impenetrable membranes, encrypted buses, and tamper-resistant memory, or they will have to settle for an inferior solution that fails to thwart dishonest users and limits the ability to backup data and interoperate with third-party software. Investing in proven architectural improvements such as guarded pointers and data tags is a more cost-effective and long-overdue alternative.