Ernest Worthman

  (all posts)
Ernest Worthman is Technology Editor/Security for Semiconductor Engineering.

Author's Latest Posts

Virtualization Revisited
By Ernest Worthman - 05 May, 2016 - Comments: 0

Virtual instruction set computing (VISC) is getting a second look as power and performance improvements begin to slow and [getkc id="74" comment="Moore's Law"] is supplanted by [getkc id="279" comment="Koomey's Law"]. While the current crop of [getkc id="185" kc_name="finFETs"] will likely be extended for at least one more process node, there is some debate about what comes next, whether tha... » read more

Next-Gen Botnets
By Ernest Worthman - 05 May, 2016 - Comments: 0

Botnets, once limited to computer networks, are expanding and changing as more devices are connected to the Internet—and becoming much harder to detect and destroy. The term botnet—a contraction for robotic networks—conjures up the days when it was just a collection of computers that were largely autonomous, on a local network and usually assigned to repetitive tasks. But that is chang... » read more

White-Box Crypto Gains Traction
By Ernest Worthman - 07 Apr, 2016 - Comments: 0

Ask any cryptography expert which is better, hardware- or software-based cryptography, and they'll almost always choose the hardware. But as the IoE begins to take root in cost-sensitive markets with tight market windows, that won't always be an option. Plan B is software cryptography, which historically has been used at the application level in the form of anti-virus, anti-spyware, and soft... » read more

Mobile Edge Computing For The IoE
By Ernest Worthman - 07 Apr, 2016 - Comments: 0

More attention is being focused on the edges of networks as the IoE begins taking hold. The reason is that the current wireless infrastructure is inadequate for handling the billions of endpoints that will make up the IoE. So for the IoE to realize its full potential, it will either require some sort of add-on infrastructure or a new discovery in physics. Edge networks were not always suc... » read more

Apple Vs. FBI, Take Two
By Ernest Worthman - 07 Apr, 2016 - Comments: 0

Well, it is now old news that the FBI has found a way to retrieve data from the iPhone of deceased terrorist Syed Farook without the cooperation of Apple. It's not surprising that the FBI succeeded here. All security can be breached. It's just a question of how much effort people are willing to expend for a given result, and what the repercussions are if you get caught. In this case, there w... » read more

Securing The Cloud
By Ernest Worthman - 03 Mar, 2016 - Comments: 0

Cloud computing offers on-demand network access that is ubiquitous and convenient, with a pool of configurable computing resources such as shared networks, servers, storage, applications, and services. What makes this so attractive is these services can be provisioned and adapted to the load, with minimal management or service provider intervention. Cloud computing takes advantage of a distr... » read more

Oh, The Hypocrisy
By Ernest Worthman - 03 Mar, 2016 - Comments: 1

It's almost impossible to find anyone hasn’t heard about the privacy case chest-thumping going on between Apple and the FBI, as well as a few other federal entities. And by now the interview with Tim Cook and David Muir is quite public, as well. So how come, all of a sudden, Apple, Microsoft (although Bill Gates did come out on the government side) Google, Yahoo, Facebook, and countless ot... » read more

Battle Looms Over Mobile Payments
By Ernest Worthman - 03 Mar, 2016 - Comments: 0

The lines are drawn. The sides are sizing each other up. Apple is on one side with secure element, and Google and Microsoft are on the other side with host card emulation. Both are mobile payment systems for smartphones that rely on near-field communication technology. Apple fired the first shot with SE, and Google soon replied with HCE. And now both sides are ramping up after months of dela... » read more

Back Doors Are Everywhere
By Ernest Worthman - 03 Mar, 2016 - Comments: 0

By Ernest Worthman & Ed Sperling Back doors have been a part of chip design since the beginning. One of the first open references was in the 1983 movie "War Games," which features a young computer whiz who uses one to hack into a computer that controls the United States' nuclear arsenal. In reality, modern back doors predate Hollywood's discovery by about 20 years, starting in 1965 wi... » read more

Fuel Cells And The IoE
By Ernest Worthman - 10 Feb, 2016 - Comments: 1

There is no arguing with the fact that civilization is consuming power like never before. Even with a growing awareness of energy conservation at all levels, and across all types of platforms the world’s appetite for energy is growing, logarithmically. And technology is not going to be able to make conventional energy sources efficient, and earth-friendly enough to supply all that will be nee... » read more

← Older posts

  • Sponsors

About

Navigation

Connect With Us

Copyright ©2013-2024 SMG   |  Terms of Service  |  Privacy Policy