Intel to Allow Antivirus Software to Use Its Integrated GPUs to Accelerate Malware Scanning

Intel has announced the development of new virus scanning techniques that will allow for better threat detection on Windows PCs and cloud services. These capabilities are called Accelerated Memory Scanning and Intel Advanced Platform Telemetry. Intel has also launched Security Essentials, which includes numerous critical root-of-trust hardware security capabilities, for Intel Core, Intel Xeon, and Intel Atom processors.

Accelerated Memory Scanning
According to Intel, current virus scanning methods can detect memory-based malware but end up using crucial CPU performance. With its new technology, the chipmaker aims to offload this work to its CPUs' integrated graphics hardware. According to Intel's internal tests, CPU utilisation can drop from 20 percent to just 2 percent. Intel has partnered with Microsoft to incorporate Accelerated Memory Scanning into Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection, its security framework for business and enterprise customers.

Intel Advanced Platform Telemetry
Intel's second development is said to combine platform telemetry with machine learning algorithms for better detection of advanced threats, helping cut down on false positives and increasing overall performance. Intel has tied up with Cisco to integrate this technology with the Cisco Tetration platform, which offers data security and cloud protection.

"I am excited about the progress we are making, together with these key partners, to pioneer innovations across silicon and software to help protect customers from emerging threats," says Rick Echevarria, Vice President, Software, Intel Corporation.

The company has also announced the introduction of Intel Security Essentials, which it is describing as a consistent set of critical security technologies across its CPU lines, designed directly into the hardware. These include existing features such as trusted execution, accelerated encryption, and secure booting, now brought under one umbrella. Talking about Intel Security Essentials, Echevarria said, "This standard set of capabilities will accelerate trusted computing as customers build solutions rooted in hardware-based protections. Further, these capabilities, directly integrated into Intel silicon, are designed to improve the security posture of computing, lower the cost of deploying security solutions and minimize the impact of security on performance."

Intel was recently caught up in a massive hardware vulnerability scandal wherein two CPU design flaws known as Meltdown and Spectre were discovered to have affected millions of the company's computer chips already in use around the world. The tech giant has promised to eliminate these flaws beginning with its upcoming Intel Xeon Scalable processors, which are set to be shipped in the second half of 2018.