Blog posts written by ijlal-loutfi

ijlal-loutfi
3 November 2023

Intel® TDX 1.0 technology preview available on Ubuntu 23.10

Confidential computing Article

Today’s security landscape faces a significant challenge: the lack of adequate protection for data in active use. Data breaches can happen at runtime (that is, when computation is taking place on a machine’s main memory), stemming from a range of vectors such as malicious insiders with elevated privileges or hackers exploiting vulnerabili ...

ijlal-loutfi
9 October 2023

Restricted unprivileged user namespaces are coming to Ubuntu 23.10

Security Article

Ubuntu Desktop firmly places security at the forefront, and adheres to the principles of security by default. This approach caters to both everyday users and organisations with specific compliance requirements. As such, Ubuntu ensures that its recommended security configurations are equally robust, easy to understand and readily accessibl ...

ijlal-loutfi
7 September 2023

TPM-backed Full Disk Encryption is coming to Ubuntu

Confidential computing Article

Discover Ubuntu’s latest security enhancement: TPM-backed Full Disk Encryption (FDE). This experimental feature in Ubuntu 23.10 offers improved data protection without the need for passphrases ...

ijlal-loutfi
24 July 2023

Why do you also need confidential computing for your private datacenter?

Confidential computing Article

Confidential computing is not limited to public cloud environments; it also has significant value in private data centers. While private data centers offer data governance, control, and physical security, they are still vulnerable to insider attacks and share the same system software vulnerabilities as public cloud environments. By adopti ...

ijlal-loutfi
11 July 2023

Why you need to protect your confidential virtual machine from itself

Confidential computing Confidential computing

Confidential computing disrupts the traditional threat model by decoupling resource management from data access. It introduces new CPU security extensions like AMD SEV and Intel TDX, providing memory isolation through encryption and hardware access control mechanisms. While confidential computing protects against external threats, it’s im ...

ijlal-loutfi
29 June 2023

The founding moments: Tracing the origins of confidential computing

Confidential computing Article

In Ernest Hemingway’s novel “The Sun Also Rises,” there is a memorable exchange between the author and the main character, Mike. When asked how he went bankrupt, Mike responds with a concise yet profound answer: “Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” Innovation happens much in the same way. Gradually, then suddenly. Ideas simmer and evolv ...

ijlal-loutfi
28 June 2023

Strengthen your cloud cyber security with Ubuntu Pro and confidential VMs

Ubuntu Article

Strengthen your cloud cyber security with Ubuntu Pro and confidential VMs. This blog dives into the crucial role your OS plays in cloud security and highlights the extensive security measures offered by Ubuntu, including the game-changing confidential computing technology. ...

ijlal-loutfi
17 June 2023

Is Linux secure?

Confidential computing Security

Operating system security is the upper bound of your application security Meet Pal. Pal is a senior developer working at PalBank. For the next 6 months, Pal will be responsible for leading the development of the bank’s web application client, which will be used daily by millions of customers. Pal invests considerable effort into designing ...

ijlal-loutfi
25 April 2023

Try Ubuntu confidential VMs with Intel TDX today: limited preview now available on Azure

Confidential computing Confidential computing

On behalf of the Canonical confidential computing team, I am happy to announce the limited preview of Ubuntu Confidential VMs with Intel TDX on Microsoft Azure. As part of the DCev5-series and ECesv5-series VMs, they’re available for you to try today! This exciting development is an important milestone in Ubuntu’s journey to power the con ...

ijlal-loutfi
13 April 2023

Livepatch has a new 13-month sliding support window – What does it mean for you?

Security Livepatch

The Livepatch tool is a valuable solution for resolving critical and high-security kernel CVEs without requiring an immediate system reboot. However, it is not a substitute for regular maintenance windows and reboots, as some CVEs still require a system reboot. Additionally, Livepatch only covers security-related kernel updates, not non-s ...

ijlal-loutfi
13 April 2023

Canonical Livepatch gets even better – Now supporting Hardware Enablement Kernels

Security Article

Livepatch allows Ubuntu users to fix critical and high kernel vulnerabilities at runtime, which reduces the need for unplanned reboots. Until now, Livepatch has only been available for Long-Term Release (LTS) kernels, but starting with the release of Ubuntu’s interim release of 23.04 Lunar Lobster in April 2023, it will also be available ...

ijlal-loutfi
7 April 2023

Build the foundation for your zero trust strategy with Ubuntu confidential computing

Confidential computing Confidential computing

Why do we want to eliminate trust? Isn’t trust a good thing that we should foster and grow? And shouldn’t computing platforms trust their end-users, and vice versa? The short answer is no. And I would argue that the very goal of system security has always been to reduce trust. For instance, because you do ...