In some cases, the chip can scan your computer’s BIOS upon restart and run a series of conditional tests to check for unwanted programs or access before running it. They are most commonly used to protect and encrypt data, and can store sensitive information like passwords, encryption keys, and security certificates with a hardware barrier.Ī TPM chip can quarantine itself (and thus, any data stored on there) if it detects malware or a virus on your device. In short, TPM chips are all about security. Though neither are as secure as a standalone chip, the former is still the more viable option of the two as it uses a discrete and trusted environment compared to one that can be easily hacked and altered. There are also purely virtual TPMs, running completely within software. Some can be integrated into the main CPU as firmware or as a physical add-on. There are other forms TPMs can take, besides physical standalone chips, though the average user won’t need to worry about this. However, not all motherboards support TPM chips or have the corresponding connector, as we’ll discuss later. If you are building your own PC, you can also purchase one separately as an add-on module for any motherboard that supports it. Modern off-the-shelf computers typically already have a standalone TPM chip soldered to the motherboard. It’s essentially a secure crypto-processor capable of carrying out operations like generating encryption keys and providing a mix of software- and hardware-based authentication in a tamper-resistant fashion.
How to Check If Your Computer Has a TPM ChipĪ Trusted Platform Module is a tiny chip on your computer’s motherboard providing security-related functions at a hardware level.What’s the Difference Between TPM 1.2 and TPM 2.0?.Why Might Microsoft Be Requiring a TPM Chip for Windows 11?.