Microsoft recommends overriding the default and using a PIN or password only for threat models that anticipate an attacker with enough skill and time alone with an unattended target machine to open the case and solder motherboard devices. That meant the TPM was where the sole cryptographic secret for unlocking the drive was stored. The researchers noticed that, as is the default for disk encryption using Microsoft’s BitLocker, the laptop booted directly to the Windows screen, with no prompt for entering a PIN or password. With little else to go on, the researchers focused on the trusted platform module, or TPM, a heavily fortified chip installed on the motherboard that communicates directly with other hardware installed on the machine.
An analysis of the BIOS settings, boot operation, and hardware quickly revealed that the security measures in place were going to preclude the usual hacks, including: They received no test credentials, configuration details, or other information about the machine. Researchers at the security consultancy Dolos Group, hired to test the security of one client’s network, received a new Lenovo computer preconfigured to use the standard security stack for the organization. With that, the hacker can gain the ability to write not only to the stolen laptop but to the fortified network it was configured to connect to. Research published last week shows that the answer is a resounding "yes." Not only that, but a hacker who has done her homework needs a surprisingly short stretch of time alone with the machine to carry out the attack. Can the attacker use it to hack your network? And let’s say an attacker manages to intercept the machine. And let’s say it comes preconfigured to use all the latest, best security practices, including full-disk encryption using a trusted platform module, password-protected BIOS settings, UEFI SecureBoot, and virtually all other recommendations from the National Security Agency and NIST for locking down federal computer systems. Let’s say you’re a large company that has just shipped an employee a brand-new replacement laptop.