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SubjectRE: disabling Intel PSN
Date
> On Fri, 17 Dec 1999, David Woodhouse wrote:
>
> >
> > pjb1008@cam.ac.uk said:
> > > I think it's a bad idea to allow it at all. If it's enabled, vendors
> > > will start using it for generating software licence keys; its bad
> > > enough that Mac addresses are used for this purpose (consider what
> > > happens when your server's hardware fails and needs to be replaced).
> >
> > That's the best reason I've heard so far, and it still doesn't
> hold much
> > water. They have to have a fall-back; nobody's going to
> voluntarily limit
> > themselves to only running on PIII, and in that case you just
> disable the S/N
> > while you're installing the license.
>
> Consider the fact that a certain windows office package will imbed the PSN
> in your data files if it can get it.
>
> Gerhard

That tells you nothing more than the processor that was running when the
document was generated. Similar data is available from the IP address, host
name, user name, date/time, and the MAC address.

But I don't follow the general argument. That a feature can be used for a
bad purpose is not grounds for disabling it, is it? If it has the potential
to make something a bit more secure, surely that's a good thing. If it
doesn't, then how can it compromise privacy?

If a malicious program wants to leak person information about you, then it
can do so with or without a PSN.

DS


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