This month, HP launched the HP Elite t660 (it will become available in March), which blends Wolf Security with thin client technology to create what is, at least on paper, the most secure general-use desktop PC currently in the market. HP’s Wolf Security has long led the industry with the most aggressive set of tools to keep users safe, but users remain the weakest link in any security plan, and that weakens HP’s security solutions. However, the most secure PC configuration is a thin client configuration because it is cloud-based, so the user is limited on what they can install and use, and the cloud is far more robustly secured than any PC can be because it is a remote resource.
When you combine Wolf Security and the cloud, you get what should be the most secure PC-like solution in the market.
HP Wolf Security
HP Wolf Security is a company within a company. While its growth has been stilted due to it largely being a captured entity (meaning Wolf does not have the ability to sell outside of the HP envelope and truly compete as a security company might), it is still unique. What makes it unique is that its solutions are based on hardware and software embedded in the systems it secures, making the hardware harder to penetrate than competing platforms that rely on third-party solutions.
This makes PCs secured by Wolf more secure than PCs secured by third-party products because of the hardware layer that allows for greater protection below the OS and firmware layers. It provides protections that most other PCs don’t have.
With a regular PC configuration, the Wolf Security elements would include HP Sure Start, which stops the boot process if it sees anything unusual and then boots a safe version of the BIOS when a problem is found so the exposure can be safely mitigated. HP Sure Admin allows a central administrator to assure and manage the BIOS and related settings. HP Secure Erase removes the contents of a hard drive very securely so the PC can be reimaged and safely donated or reassigned. HP Sure Sense scans files with AI and quarantines any data that is behaving badly, and HP Sure Recover can restore a PC from Bare Meta without involving an administrator.
These features are in virtually every one of HP’s enterprise-class PCs.
Thin Client
However, a thin client doesn’t run code locally. This means the Wolf elements are enhanced because even if the thin client is stolen, it can’t be used for much unless it is registered with the right cloud backend. This is very similar to why electric cars are rarely stolen. They need to be connected to their backend services to function. If stolen, the car is typically bricked because the thieves are denied access.
I once reviewed the theft of a large number of thin client machines in India. All of the machines were returned shortly after the theft because the thieves couldn’t sell or use them, and they didn’t want to incur the cost of disposing of them.
So, with this new implementation, Wolf protects the software and the user, while the thin client implementation protects the hardware. This makes it less likely to be stolen, and if stolen, it’s likely to be disposed of or returned.
Wrapping Up: Security Squared
When you combine the security elements of Wolf Security with the naturally more secure thin client architecture, you get what should be the most secure PC-like product in the enterprise market with the combined security potential of both a terminal (a thin client is very similar to a terminal) and the most secure PC currently in the enterprise market.
The reason you might want such a solution is that with the advent of AI, HP has reported significant instances where AI is initially being used for malware transport and delivery and will eventually be used in an ever-wider range of malware and phishing attacks. These attacks will be extremely difficult to mitigate without a hardened desktop solution and better employee training than most companies are willing to require.
This hardware/software solution from HP will address the former, but if you don’t aggressively train and test your people, it may not be adequate for the AI malware and phishing wave that we expect to hit in 2025.
- HP Launches the Most Secure PC That Isn’t a PC - December 30, 2024
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