Memory data protection based on authenticated encryption

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11269786-B2
Application number	US-201816045393-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2018
Priority date	Jul 25, 2018
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, and/or methods to provide memory data protection. In one example, authenticated encryption may be enhanced via a modification to an authentication code that is associated with encrypted data. The authentication code may be modified, for example, with a nonce value generated for a particular write to memory Decrypted data, generated from the encrypted data, may then be validated based on a modified authentication code. Moreover, data freshness control for data stored in the memory may be provided based on iterative authentication and re-encryption. In addition, a counter used to provide a nonce value may be managed to reduce a size of the counter and/or a growth of the counter.

First claim

We claim:

1. An electronic processing system comprising:
a processor; and
logic communicatively coupled to the processor to:
modify an authentication code associated with encrypted data to generate a modified authentication code, wherein the modified authentication code is to be based on a new value generated specifically for a corresponding write of data to memory to provide data freshness control including iterative authentication and re-encryption based on a timestamp value, wherein the iterative authentication and re-encryption are to provide data time freshness via a refreshing wave that continuously traverses the memory at a pre-defined pace, and wherein the modified authentication code and the encrypted data are to be stored in memory, and
validate decrypted data, to be generated from the encrypted data, based on the modified authentication code, to determine whether a match condition exists between a new authentication code generated on decryption and the modified authentication code stored in the memory, wherein validating the decrypted data includes:
when a match condition exists, confirming the match, and
when a match does not exist, automatically issuing a security action including generating an updated modified authentication code with updated encrypted data, and issuing a write request to store the updated modified authentication code and the updated encrypted data in the memory.

2. The system of claim 1 , further including logic to construct an initialization value based on a nonce value and one or more of a memory address for the encrypted data, a key identifier for a key used to generate the encrypted data, or a most recent timestamp value from a running sequence of timestamp values.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the logic is further to:
identify one of a counter value or a pseudorandom value as the nonce value; and
construct the initialization value based on the memory address, the key identifier, the timestamp value, and one of the counter value or the pseudorandom value.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the logic is further to:
determine one or more of a size of a first field for a nonce value in the modified authentication code or a size of a second field for an authentication value in the modified authentication code;
truncate the authentication code to the size of the second field to form a truncated authentication code; and
concatenate the truncated authentication code with the nonce value to generate the modified authentication code.

5. The system of claim 1 , further including:
logic to encrypt the modified authentication code to generate an encrypted modified authentication code; and
logic to generate an authenticated encryption key based on two or more of a memory address for the encrypted data, a key used to generate the encrypted data, or a most recent timestamp value from a running sequence of timestamp values.

6. The system of claim 1 , further including logic to:
issue a read request for the encrypted data at an address threshold of a refresh wave;
determine that the encrypted data is authenticated to allow for an updated modified authentication code to be generated; and
issue a write request to store the updated modified authentication code in the memory.

7. The system of claim 1 , further including one or more of:
logic to generate a prefix code for the modified authentication code;
logic to generate an array of group counters mapped to respective address groups from a memory address space in the memory;
logic to reset a counter based on an arrival of a refresh wave at an end of the memory address space in the memory; or
logic to generate a value from a virtual counter.

8. A semiconductor package apparatus comprising:
one or more substrates; and
logic coupled to the one or more substrates, wherein the logic is at least partly implemented in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality hardware logic, the logic coupled to the one or more substrates to:
modify an authentication code associated with encrypted data to generate a modified authentication code, wherein the modified authentication code is to be based on a new value generated specifically for a corresponding write of data to memory to provide data freshness control including iterative authentication and re-encryption based on a timestamp value, wherein the iterative authentication and re-encryption are to provide data time freshness via a refreshing wave that continuously traverses the memory at a pre-defined pace, and wherein the modified authentication code and the encrypted data are to be stored in memory, and
validate decrypted data, to be generated from the encrypted data, based on the modified authentication code, to determine whether a match condition exists between a new authentication code generated on decryption and the modified authentication code stored in the memory, wherein validating the decrypted data includes:
when a match condition exists, confirming the match, and
when a match does not exist, automatically issuing a security action including generating an updated modified authentication code with updated encrypted data, and issuing a write request to store the updated modified authentication code and the updated encrypted data in the memory.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , further including logic to construct an initialization value based on a nonce value and one or more of a memory address for the encrypted data, a key identifier for a key used to generate the encrypted data, or a most recent timestamp value from a running sequence of timestamp values.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the logic is further to:
determine one or more of a size of a first field for a nonce value in the modified authentication code or a size of a second field for an authentication value in the modified authentication code;
truncate the authentication code to the size of the second field to form a truncated authentication code; and
concatenate the truncated authentication code with the nonce value to generate the modified authentication code.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , further including:
logic to encrypt the modified authentication code to generate an encrypted modified authentication code; and
logic to generate an authenticated encryption key based on two or more of a memory address for the encrypted data, a key used to generate the encrypted data, or a most recent timestamp value from a running sequence of timestamp values.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , further including logic is to:
issue a read request for the encrypted data at an address threshold of a refresh wave;
determine that the encrypted data is authenticated to allow for an updated modified authentication code to be generated; and
issue a write request to store the updated modified authentication code in the memory.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , further including one or more of:
logic to generate a prefix code for the modified authentication code;
logic to generate an array of group counters mapped to respective address groups from a memory address space in the memory;
logic to reset a counter based on an arrival of a refresh wave at an end of the memory address space in the memory; or
logic to generate a value from a virtual counter.

14. A method comprising:
modifying an authentication code associated with encrypted data to generate a modified authentication code, wherein the modified authentication code is to be based on a new value generated specifically for a corresponding write of data to memory to provide data freshness control including iterative authentication and re-encryption based on a t

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Bolotov Anatoli
• Grinchuk Mikhail
• Durham David M
• Fleming Patrick

Classifications

• G06F2212/1052

  Security improvement · CPC title

• G06F21/78 Primary

  to assure secure storage of data (address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00) · CPC title

• G06F12/1408 Primary

  by using cryptography (for digital transmission H04L9/00) · CPC title

• G06F21/44

  Program or device authentication · CPC title