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When writing software, is it worth targeting a TPM for increased security?

That boils down to: how common are normal business desktop and laptop computers with a TPM (not servers, not so interested in personal computers/gaming rigs etc)? On a scale of:

  • If you can find one without, it's probably running WinME.
  • They are ubiquitous on new machines, but there are probably lots of older machines without.
  • Only found on specialist new machines
  • Nope, not going to find one.
Martin Bonner supports Monica
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  • Please rephrase the question and make it relevant to security. – mootmoot Aug 09 '18 at 08:44
  • @mootmoot that's not particularly helpful advice. Clearly prevalence of TPMs is "relevant to security". – OrangeDog Aug 09 '18 at 11:42
  • @OrangeDog `How common are normal business desktop and laptop computers with a TPM` is sound like asking opinion. Even with actual statistic, I still fail to see how it is related to a direct security question. – mootmoot Aug 09 '18 at 11:47
  • @mootmoot Does my clarification help? Or do you still regard it as "not relevant to security". – Martin Bonner supports Monica Aug 09 '18 at 14:55
  • The edited question seems like it, but it is pretty subjective. For normal business apps developer, TPM is not their concern. But for company that provide special tools that make use of the TPM, they need to fork resource to deal with it. – mootmoot Aug 09 '18 at 15:21
  • @mootmoot If I was writing software for my business to use, I could do a survey of the estate and decide if it is worth upgrading. I am not, I am writing software for *other* business, which is why I want to know the prevalence. – Martin Bonner supports Monica Aug 09 '18 at 16:29
  • Well, if your project your future clients may make use of TPM as part of the requirements, then you need to consider it. Since TPM is on every PC, it is really an "convenience" trend for related vendor in those field to make use of it. – mootmoot Aug 09 '18 at 19:06
  • "TPM is on every PC" - *That* statement is an answer to my question. It clearly isn't true - no computer from before 2009 will have one - but if "every PC sold in the last five years has one" is true, that would be excellent. Do you have any evidence for it? – Martin Bonner supports Monica Aug 10 '18 at 06:58
  • Most modern laptops, less than 3 or 4 years old have them. Desktops may not. – user1751825 Aug 10 '18 at 13:31
  • Mac computers do not have TPM since [I think] 2006. – Jesse P. Aug 10 '18 at 21:20

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