One of the security errors of all x86 ISA processors, those used in our PCs, are the so-called negative permission rings that occur when certain functions end up having much higher privileges and hierarchy than the operating system itself. Specifically, this is due to the predictive execution that CPUs have with out-of-order execution, which forces the placement of security countermeasures, one of which is the use of a chip to store extremely sensitive data such as the Trusted Platform Module or dwt. Hence, the security problems related to this piece are less sensitive.
What is TPM Attestation affecting some AMD chips?
It is clear that the TPM is an essential requirement to run Windows 11 and later versions. We believe that in the future many applications will require it to be installed, especially as a measure against illegal copies of many programs and specifically due to the rampant piracy that plagues the world of PC games.
Now, the question is, how can the system know if said component is not tampered with? For this there is a mechanism called TPM Attestation, which through a series of security certificates tells us if the TPM chip in our computer meets the specifications. This is important due to the fact that a fake module could copy user data in bulk. Isn’t it done already? Well, what they don’t want is for it to reach the level of monitoring and control that exists in China, what’s more, they don’t want compromised data to leak into that country.
And where is the problem with AMD chips? Well, it seems that the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D cannot carry out the TPM Attestation, it would not be the only processor and it would also happen to some Intel CPUs, so the problem does not lie only with the three-letter mark. Although Microsoft has recognized the error and has an error code and message and everything, 0x80070490 on systems with Windows 10 or Windows 11. The problem? There is no planned solution at the moment.
TPM Attestation fails to update CPU
It often happens that we do not have a budget for a total change of PC and we are looking for something more performance by installing a CPU that is compatible with the motherboard socket. Well, it seems that the TPM Attestation fails if we update the processor in this way and many times this forces us to change the TPM module on the motherboard for the certificate to work. At the moment Windows 11 has very low requirements, but we have to start from the fact that there is nothing worse than seeing that losing the possibility of executing certain programs over time, mainly due to the fact that this takes away the utility of our pc.
If my TPM is fake, then what good is the Windows 11 requirement?
Not really at all. Since it is rather a pressure on manufacturers to include it yes or yes. What’s more, we have to keep in mind that this is a temporary measure due to the fact that the next step will be to require Pluto on the processor, which will leave entire generations of users unable to install a newer version of Windows.
Be that as it may, we cannot forget that there is a version of Windows 11 that does not require the TPM module to work. In any case, the fact that the operating system works without problems, even if the Trusted Platform Module does not pass the certificate of authenticity, says a lot about this famous requirement in Microsoft’s operating system. What’s more, nobody would like to see their data being filtered by a piece that is supposed to protect them.
