Obscuring information in virtualization environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021089340-A1
Application number	US-201916580067-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 24, 2019
Priority date	Sep 24, 2019
Publication date	Mar 25, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A hardware request of an application is detected. The Application executes on a virtualized computer system. It is determined that the hardware request includes a counter. The counter is to be performed by the virtualized computer system. The counter includes a counter value. The hardware request is intercepted before the it is processed by a hypervisor that hosts the virtualized computer system. The interception is based on the determining the hardware request includes the counter. The counter value is saved in a secure memory. The secure memory is obscured from the hypervisor. A scrambled counter value is generated. The hardware request is updated with the scrambled counter value. After the hardware request is updated it is provided to the hypervisor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
detecting a hardware request of an application, wherein the application executes on a virtualized computer system; determining the hardware request includes a counter, wherein the counter is to be updated by the virtualized computer system, and wherein the counter includes a counter value; intercepting, based on the determining the hardware request includes the counter, the hardware request before the hardware request is processed by a hypervisor that hosts the virtualized computer system; saving the counter value in a secure memory, the secure memory obscured from the hypervisor; generating a scrambled counter value; updating the hardware request with the scrambled counter value; and providing, after the updating the hardware request, the hardware request to the hypervisor.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based on the detecting of the hardware request, one or more data inputs in the hardware request; and obscuring the one or more data inputs.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the secure memory is encrypted, and wherein the hypervisor does not have access to the secure memory.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is performed by an ultravisor.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the scrambled counter value is generated by a random number generator of the ultravisor.

6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
storing, before the providing the hardware request to the hypervisor, the scrambled counter value; identifying a response to the hardware request, the response provided by the hypervisor; determining the response includes an updated scrambled counter value, the updated scrambled counter value based on the scrambled counter value; blocking the response; generating, based on the updated scrambled counter value and based on the scrambled counter value, an update amount; calculating, based on the counter value and based on the update amount, an updated counter value; and providing the updated counter value to the application.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the counter is a decrementer.

8 . A system, the system comprising:
a memory, the memory containing one or more instructions; and a processor, the processor communicatively coupled to the memory, the processor, in response to reading the one or more instructions, configured to:
detect a hardware request of an application, wherein the application executes on a virtualized computer system;
determine the hardware request includes a counter, wherein the counter to be performed by the virtualized computer system, and wherein the counter includes a counter value;
intercept, based on the determine the hardware request includes the counter, the hardware request before the hardware request is processed by a hypervisor that hosts the virtualized computer system;
save the counter value in a secure memory, the secure memory obscured from the hypervisor;
generate a scrambled counter value;
update the hardware request with the scrambled counter value; and
provide, after the update the hardware request, the hardware request to the hypervisor.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine, based on the detecting the hardware request, one or more data inputs in the hardware request; and obscure the one or more data inputs.

10 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the secure memory is encrypted, and wherein the hypervisor does not have access to the secure memory.

11 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the processor is configured to execute an ultravisor.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein the generate the scrambled counter value includes obtaining the scrambled counter value from a trusted platform module in communication with the ultravisor.

13 . The system of claim 8 further comprising:
store, before the provide the hardware request to the hypervisor, the scrambled counter value;
identify a response to the hardware request, the response provided by the hypervisor;
determine the response includes an updated scrambled counter value, the updated scrambled counter value based on the scrambled counter value;
generate, based on the updated scrambled counter value and based on the scrambled counter value, an update amount;
calculate, based on the counter value and based on the update amount, an updated counter value; and
provide the updated counter value to the application.

14 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the counter is a decrementer.

15 . A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions configured to:
detect a hardware request of an application, wherein the application executes on a virtualized computer system; determine the hardware request includes a counter, wherein the counter to be performed by the virtualized computer system, and wherein the counter includes a counter value; intercept, based on the determine the hardware request includes the counter, the hardware request before the hardware request is processed by a hypervisor that hosts the virtualized computer system; save the counter value in a secure memory, the secure memory obscured from the hypervisor; generate a scrambled counter value; update the hardware request with the scrambled counter value; and provide, after the update the hardware request, the hardware request to the hypervisor.

16 . The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the program instructions further configured to:
determine, based on the detecting the hardware request, one or more data inputs in the hardware request; and obscure the one or more data inputs.

17 . The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the secure memory is encrypted, and wherein the hypervisor does not have access to the secure memory.

18 . The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the scrambled counter value is generated by a random number generator of an ultravisor.

19 . The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the program instructions further configured to:
store, before the provide the hardware request to the hypervisor, the scrambled counter value; identify a response to the hardware request, the response provided by the hypervisor; determine the response includes an updated scrambled counter value, the updated scrambled counter value based on the scrambled counter value; generate, based on the updated scrambled counter value and based on the scrambled counter value, an update amount; calculate, based on the counter value and based on the update amount, an updated counter value; and provide the updated counter value to the application.

20 . The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the counter is a decrementer.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Chatterjee Debapriya
• Cockcroft Bryant
• Schumann John A
• Yokum Karen

Classifications

• G06F2009/45587

  Isolation or security of virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F9/45558 Primary

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• H04L63/0428

  wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload · CPC title

• G06F21/6254

  by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification · CPC title

• H04L2463/121

  Timestamp · CPC title