Generating memory dumps

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018150409-A1
Application number	US-201815898936-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 19, 2018
Priority date	Sep 16, 2016
Publication date	May 31, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for generating a dump comprising data generated by a virtual system in a computing environment is depicted. The method comprises: initiating a dump process for dumping data generated by the virtual system and stored in guest memory; sending a dump request for the data from the virtual machine monitor to the trusted component; in response to receiving the dump request, generating a symmetric dump generating key; reading the data from the guest memory; encrypting the data with the symmetric dump generating key; encrypting the symmetric dump generating key with the public cryptographic key of the client system; providing the encrypted dump data and the encrypted symmetric dump generating key to the virtual machine monitor; generating a dump comprising the encrypted dump data and the encrypted symmetric dump generating key; and providing the dump to the client system.

First claim

1 . A method for generating a dump comprising data generated by a virtual system in a computing environment, the method comprising:
initiating a dump process for dumping data being generated by the virtual system and stored in a guest memory; sending a dump request for the data from a virtual machine monitor to a trusted component; after sending the dump request to the trusted component, the trusted component generating a header of the data to be stored, the header comprising the encrypted dump generating key, a list of the encrypted dump data to be stored, the size of the encrypted data to be stored and a list of unencrypted dump data and a size of unencrypted dump data, the trusted component sending the header to the virtual machine monitor, the virtual machine monitor sending the header to the client, and then the virtual machine monitor sending the data to the client system after the data according to the header is accessible to the virtual machine monitor; in response to receiving the dump request, generating a symmetric dump generating key by the trusted component; after receiving the dump request from the virtual machine monitor, the trusted component initiating a challenge-response authentication with the client system, wherein the challenge-response authentication uses the private and the public cryptographic key of the client system, and wherein the dump process is performed if the challenge-response authentication is successfully performed; reading the data from the guest memory by the trusted component; encrypting the data with the symmetric dump generating key by the trusted component; encrypting the symmetric dump generating key with a public cryptographic key of the client system by the trusted component; providing the encrypted dump data and the encrypted symmetric dump generating key to the virtual machine monitor by the trusted component; generating a dump comprising the encrypted dump data and the encrypted symmetric dump generating key by the virtual machine monitor; and providing the dump to the client system by the virtual machine monitor.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bacher Utz
• Buendgen Reinhard T
• Carstens Heiko
• Dingel Dominik

Classifications

• G06F2009/45587

  Isolation or security of virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F12/1408

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

• G06F9/45558 Primary

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• H04L9/0894

  Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage · CPC title

• G06F21/00

  Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity · CPC title