With electronic signatures now the law of the land, IBM is out pushing its PCs that feature an embedded security chip.

IBM executives Tuesday touted the security chip, which is included in the NetVista A40p and S40p desktop systems, at its Worldwide Security Solutions Briefing, held here. The event was part of a worldwide tour of cities to discuss security issues and solutions with customers, a company spokesman said.

Increasing cybercrime and the new legality of e-signatures is making security a more critical issue, said Brian Teague, product manager with IBM's personal systems group.

"The client is the weakest link in the network when it comes to security," he said. "It's leaving a backdoor open, with nothing but a password to protect it."

Included on the motherboard, IBM's embedded security chip protects electronic communications by protecting a user's private key information, he said. The chip provides the most secure endpoint for Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), more so than software-based security, which is easier to hack, Teague said.

"Everything revolves around your private key. By keeping that secure, you're keeping your ID secure and all your transactions secure," he said.

The Electronic Signatures In Global and National Commerce Act took effect earlier this month, giving e-signatures the same legal weight as pen-and-paper signatures. The law promises to spur growth of e-commerce by making it easier to conduct business online, including stock trading and real estate transactions, but some say it opens the door to Internet fraud.

Teague said IBM has shipped over three million PCs equipped with the embedded security chip.

IBM's embedded security chip is not proprietary and is a standard supported by more than 139 member companies of the Trusted Computing Platform Alliance, of which IBM is a founding member. IBM expects competitors to ship systems with the chip in the next 18 months.

Roger Kay, IDC analyst, said in a report that IBM's security chip "represents a significant advance beyond software-only solutions. There is no way a Trojan horse can sniff the chip because all private key operations take place within its protected environment."

The chip is designed to work with other security components, including firewalls and antivirus software, he added.