Microsoft Windows 11 vs Apple Cybersecurity - Which Should You Use?

We've talked about a lot of the cybersecurity problems. I'm going to talk now about what Microsoft is doing with Windows 11, a lot of hardware out there right now, anyways, will not run windows 11. So what is Microsoft doing to solve this problem?

Microsoft has been blamed for many of the problems we've had with computers and computer security for a long time.

And between us, they're doing these things that caused security problems because of us, because of the users of windows. Microsoft seems to continually try and support the older software and older hardware till very recently, you could still run windows XP 95, 98 programs on your windows machine, on your new windows.

[00:01:05] Back then Microsoft. I had shoe horned in the internet protocols and tried to, make it secure. They ended up buying. I'm trying to remember now, cause I worked on this code. Way back when I think it was the spider implementation of TCPI P out of Ireland, that Microsoft ended up using as a base.

[00:01:25] And I fixed quite a few bugs in that, and there were many more to come, but I wasn't focused on cybersecurity back then on the software. And frankly, most people weren't Microsoft just wanted. Out and they wanted to make sure they were compatible with the older software. So where we, you and I are part of the problem.

[00:01:47] We complain when Microsoft comes up with something that's not compatible. And as a programmer, I complain every time. But not just Microsoft, but apple or Linux or whatever it is, comes up with a new interface, a new quote, better way of doing things unquote with their systems, whatever it might be. And, I guess it's nice to bellyache, but in most of these cases, they're making changes to help make the systems better and often better means more secure.

[00:02:23] And that's what they're doing right now with Microsoft windows 11. So they had an announcement here this last week, talking about. A requirement for a TPM chip. Now TPM means trusted platform module, and the basics of a trusted platform module are to have on the chip and most. So the case is the modern Intel chips.

[00:02:53] So ones that have been out for four years or so, as well as some of them more modern AMD chips have this TPM built in. And what the TPM is as trusted platform module is a small amount of storage that gives you the ability to store keys and to do basic cryptography. Now they're requiring the TPM 2.0 implementation for windows 11, which makes sense.

[00:03:27] It has a little bit stronger encryption in it, but in the windows world, what this is going to do is make sure that the brute force attacks that can happen at boot time don't work. So they're trying to brute force the way into that trusted platform module and to make sure that the rest of the boot is not interfered.

[00:03:54] So that's all Microsoft is going to be doing with it. It that's a good thing, frankly. I think it's a very good thing for them to start using this. Many of us have computers already that have TPMS built in and the TPM 2.0, and with MTPM sitting there, it isn't doing us any good. So Microsoft is going to take care of that.

[00:04:16] So I'm happy about that. It's going to help with secure. But it's not very good, frankly. That is only a small part of the security problem you and I have because our security problem extends to all kinds of things. So let's talk about what apple has done because. Yeah. You know what I'm about to say, right?

[00:04:39] I'm about to say that apple has done it correctly. The TPMS wish they could be. They dream of being an apple T2 because this T2 processor that apple has had for awhile has a lot more functionality. It has what apple calls, their secure enclave processor. So if you have an iPhone, for instance, that does face ID or fingerprint ID.

[00:05:06] All of that information is stored in this secure enclave. That means it is not sending your face up to apple. It is not sending your fingerprint up to apple is not sending it anywhere. It keeps it locally on the desk. In fact, this apple T2 chip also processes all of your disc activity. So your solid state storage that's on your device.

[00:05:34] Goes through this T2 chip audio, video image, signal processing, SSD controller, the secure enclave, AEs cryptography engine and the system management controller all live inside this T2 chip. Okay. So a TPM, like what Microsoft is going to be using is kindergarten compared to what apple is. Which doesn't mean there aren't bugs or haven't been bugs in the T2 chip, but it is designed for security and it's a really cool, and it has this other function that the enclave micro with the Encore, the microphone is always disabled.

[00:06:16] Whenever the lid is shut on that laptop. Because again, it goes through this T two chip. So it's helping to preserve your privacy. Even if the phone were to be hacked, it couldn't get at it because the electrical signals for again, audio video the disc controller, all go through the apple T2 chip, and apple has tried very hard to try and make sure that they are secure.

[00:06:47] So maybe Apple's slipped a little bit recently, but their T2 chip is absolutely. I'm going to quote here professor Buchanan he calls it a work of art compared with this loan. TPM chip is what he says. Oh, absolutely amazing. It is a problem. In fact, do you remember this whole list, Sonya and hack?

[00:07:11] A couple of years back where Estonia had issued ID cards to everybody and they could be used for financial transactions, et cetera. And about half of them were completely hackable. Again, it was a T2 chip flaw because they were not generating proper random keys when they were making these codes. So it's interesting.

[00:07:37] We could really get into that and the history of it and the NSA and what they did, blah, blah, blah. But it's really a good thing to follow. This is the TPM chip. Thank goodness. Microsoft is raising the bar again, and that means that the leader. Microsoft surface tablet, the high-end one, the $5,000 tablet.

[00:07:59] Which does not have a TPM 2.0 chip will not work with windows 11. So keep an eye on this. I'll keep an eye on it for you as well. The, this means basically that app, that not apple, that Microsoft is going to have to change up his game a little bit, and they might decide to not require TPM 2.0 because even hardware Microsoft has been selling does not support this very baseline.

[00:08:28] Primitive cybersecurity that basically only protects your booting. Okay. So again, apple wins whole hands down now. You're I think you're starting to get the idea of why I recommend apple over anything, Microsoft and now apple making their own chips makes me really happy. They'll be able to be even more secure.

[00:08:50] I'm using an M1 based apple mini right now, and I am just amazed at how good. This little device is very fast and quite secure. All right, everybody stick around. There's a whole lot more to talk about and we're going to get into it in some detail all here, but if we really want to fight the climate crisis, we've absolutely got to embrace nuclear power.

[00:09:19] Hey, make sure you are on my newsletter list. I have a free newsletter. Go to Craig peterson.com/subscribe and get that every week.