We come to the third article related to the most powerful video ports that we can find today in our devices. The most recent to hit the market is Intel. This connector is the Thunderbolt and its maximum supporter is Apple, who quickly implemented it in their laptops as a powerful solution for professionals who use their computers and require multi-screen systems or high bandwidth for large files.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Light Peak was the code name of this technology developed by Intel, but it was commercially christen as Thunderbolt. This connector achieves brutal speeds because it is based on fiber optics. Currently, to give us an idea, it offers only a fifth of the bandwidth that this connector could offer, which is receiving updates on a very constant basis.
Thunderbolt began to be developed in 2009 and it began to be marketed in February 2011 and its function is to replace the almost disappeared FireWire and also HDMI. Intel is its developer and we have said that Apple implemented it quickly and this is because the brand of the bitten apple was a great support in the development, collaborating closely with Intel.
What is Thunderbolt
New peripheral connection based on PCI Express and DisplayPort architecture. This port was initially developed by Intel in collaboration with Apple. The aim was to develop a single cable for the transmission of data at high speeds, high definition videos and offer power.
It has support for optical or electrical connections. Connections are the ones that offer device charging, so it has become the most used system. Optical cables have the disadvantage of being more delicate and more expensive, which is why they are only used for data transfers over distances greater than 3 meters.
Future revisions could arrive with double the bandwidth, reaching 80Gbps and a transfer rate of 10Gb / s (a file of 100Gb in size would transfer in about 10-15 seconds). The update would support UHD 8K displays which have a resolution of 7680 × 4320 pixels. This bandwidth will allow the realization of multiple Single Stream Transport (SST), for 5K @ 60Hz or 120Hz monitors and a single 8K @ 60Hz monitor.
How Thunderbolt works
This connector is very different from all existing connectors, such as DisplayPort, HDMI or USB 3.0, and is that it is the first connector that is based on light pulses and does not use electricity. It is a technology similar to the fiber optics of internet operators. Externally it is not different at all to any other cable that we may have on our desk.
The current cables (except DisplayPort), basically or transmit data or transmit video, Thunderbolt is capable of doing both and above, at the same time. Intel in the development has introduced two technologies in the same connector, such as PCIe ports for high speed data and DisplayPort for video.
Thunderbolt
We have before us the best connector possibly developed, since with 10Gbps, it offers twice the data transfer speed of USB 3.0 and twenty times faster than USB 2.0 that could only handle 500Mbps. When talking about bandwidth, we must bear in mind that this is a reference. This 10Gbps port is capable of transferring 1.25Gb / s, without major problems.
Its main interest is that it allows the installation of devices in a chain. Let's imagine that we connect a pen drive to a monitor and this monitor to the computer using Thunderbolt. Well, thanks to this connector we can transfer data and video without major problems. This connector supports up to six devices in a daisy chain, something impossible with any other connector.
The bidirectionality of the data is very important, since for us to understand it, we can send data at 10Gbps and receive data at 10Gbps without any problems. Continuing with the analogy of the pen drive to the monitor and this to the computer, we could send a file at 10Gbps and import a file at 10Gbps without fluctuations, since internally, it has two independent channels with the same bandwidth.
Thunderbolt 2
Physically Thunderbolt 2 is completely the same as the original Thunderbolt and therefore compatible. The difference is that before the channels were divided into two independent 10Gbps channels, here automatically, if we are only receiving data from an external hard drive, the two channels are combined and it is transferred to 20Gbps, doubling the speed.
Intel also announced that Thunderbolt 2 allows 4K video to be viewed on two monitors simultaneously. This connector also has support for DisplayPort 1.2, which allows 4K video transmission to a single monitor or dual playback on QHD monitors.
Thunderbolt 3
Thanks to this update we have a monster on our hands. This connector introduced in 2016 and which is already being implemented on a large scale, is a brutality. Thunderbolt 3 offers us all of the above, but with great improvements. The most important is that it includes support for USB Type-C, increases the data transfer speed and even the maximum length at which the data can be transferred, which will be 60 meters.
The great novelty is that it doubles the bandwidth, reaching 40Gbps, which is equivalent to a data transfer of 5GB / s (equivalent to transferring a Blue-ray in 30 seconds). Consumption has been cut in half and it can operate on two displays simultaneously at 4K @ 60Hz or a single external 4K @ 120Hz display (previously it could only be with a 4K @ 60Hz display). Support for PCIe 3.0, HDMI 2.0, and DisplayPort 1.2 has been added.
The improvements in this connector do not end. Thanks to the implementation of USB Type-C in Thunderbolt 3, it now implements USB Power Delivery, making it no longer only allow transferring video and data. Now you can also power devices up to 100W, eliminating the power cord. Let's imagine we have a 4K and 80W monitor, well, thanks to Thunderbolt we only need a cable and the monitor does not need a power outlet.
It is backward compatible with special cables or adapters. Intel also offers three driver versions:
- DP version: makes use of PCIe 3.0 x4 providing two Thunderbolt 3 ports (DSL6540)
- SP version: makes use of PCIe 3.0 x4 by providing a Thunderbolt 3 port (DSL6340)
- LP version: Low-power version using PCIe 3.0 x2 providing a Thunderbolt 3 port (JHL6240)
Thunderbolt 4
Intel announced this new standard as a revision with major improvements over the previous connector. I bring to market with Intel Tiger Lake processors intended for Project Athena certified notebook computers.
The most important features are:
- Support for USB4
- DisplayPort support
- Support for PCI-Express
- Twice the minimum video and data requirements of Thunderbolt 3
- Support for two 4K displays or one 8K
- Data transfer PCIe @ 32GB / s, with a speed of up to 3.000MB / s
- Supports for four Thunderbolt 4 ports
- PC charging in at least one port of the computer
- Return from sleep mode when we touch a keyboard or mouse connected to a Thunderbolt dock
- Intel VT-d based Direct Memory Access (DMA) protection that helps prevent physical DMA attacks
- Cables up to 2 meters long
Thunderbolt port types
The first two versions of the Thunderbolt port used the same type of connector as the mini DisplayPort. With Thunderbolt 3 came a change in the port, beginning to use the USB Type C connector. Currently this is the type of connector used in Thunderbolt 3 and in later revisions, in addition to being used in USB ports.
The USB Type C connector is called to become standard, with the Type A connector disappearing. This change is due to the type of connection it offers, being simpler. Type C is reversible, being able to connect as you want, without major problems.
Types of vulnerabilities to which they are susceptible
DMA attacks
DMA attacks are direct memory access attacks. This means that the use of Thunderbolt through the PCIe port could generate vulnerability, since it allows very low-level access to the computer. The attack using a malicious device, which through direct and unhindered access to system memory and devices, will allow bypassing most of the operating system's security measures. The attacker could read and write system memory, exposing encryption cables or installing malicious software. Intel and Apple are working on fixing this security problem.
Option ROM attacks
This Option ROM vulnerability would occur with the connection of devices. Here we would be talking about the start of a malware before the operating system starts. Due to this activation, the invasion of the kernel, reading of the keystrokes or the theft of encrypted keys could occur. The ease of connecting Thunderbolt devices to laptops makes them ideal for Evil-Maid attacks.
Option ROMs also affect SPI Flash ROM updates, overwriting them, using malware. Apple released an update to correct the ROM issue during firmware update uploads, although this Option ROM attack vulnerability remains during normal uploads. Additionally, the forced loading of a security firmware in the UEFI Secure Boot should reduce the risk in this type of attack.
Conclusion
We are facing the best connector in the history of computing. Being able to transfer video and data simultaneously and without the signals being affected is brutal. In addition to speeds, since we are talking about speeds compared to fiber optic internet connection. It comes without a doubt to erase the HDMI that could end up disappearing earlier than expected.
If transmitting data and video is little, you also want to end with power cables since it offers 100W, which is not little. The SSD in RAID with the transfer that Thunderbolt can achieve can give us a storage support without a power cable.
