In an effort to boost the level of data security on portable computers, cell phones and other gadgets, IBM Corp. is unveiling a method for injecting encryption capabilities into the heart of the machines' circuitry...IBM researchers contend that unless the encryption function is performed by a computer's central processing unit, a supremely savvy hacker can tap into the pathway between the machine's brain and the separate encryption engine.

To guard against that, IBM is announcing Monday that it has developed "SecureBlue" - a set of encryption circuitry that can be integrated into any processor, regardless of its manufacturer.