Built into every VIA C7® Processor is the advanced VIA PadLock™ Security Co-processor that when enabled delivers the world's most comprehensive level of native security to ensure the safety of personal data.

Viruses, worms, hacking and identity theft have become an everyday part of mainstream computing today. As a result, the security of our personal information is now emerging as the single biggest issue in computing today. Every week, more and more articles appear about valuable company and personal identity information being stolen by thieves gaining access to data stored on computers.

The VIA C7® processor integrates the world's fastest x86 security engine with the world's most comprehensive set of security tools to enable real-time military-grade encryption of data. These tools include AES encryption, Secure Hash Algorithm SHA-1 and SHA-256, and a Montgomery multiplier to accelerate the encryption process used under RSA public key transmissions, all hardware based for superior operation. The VIA PadLock Security Co-processor also provides NX Execute Protection to prevent worms from propagating on a computer and a Quantum based random number generator to give all the encryption tools an unshakable foundation of security.

When enabled, the VIA PadLock Security Co-processor can be used to make data unreadable to unauthorized readers by encrypting information in real-time. This means that if a computer is stolen, the encrypted contents become completely unreadable to the thief. Worms that cause computers to not run properly or allow information to be stolen from the hard drive, are stopped dead in their tracks by the VIA PadLock Security Co-processor. Voice over IP and Instant Messaging are also kept safe from hackers listening in with VIA PadLock Security Co-processor enabled applications.

With the VIA PadLock Security Co-processor, not only can the security functions be performed at many times the speed, but the main processor is freed to do the job the user wants it to do (playing a movie or running a presentation), and overall power consumption is drastically reduced for longer portable operation or for variable power level situations. These features combined with the rest of VIA's PadLock Security Co-processor suite of tools, gives front line defense against information theft, giving greater peace of mind to users and network administrators alike.