Enabling a secure environment through operating system switching

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9563457-B2
Application number	US-201314082478-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 18, 2013
Priority date	Nov 18, 2013
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

Described systems and methods allow a host system, such as a computer or a smartphone, to enable a secure environment, which can be used to carry out secure communications with a remote service provider, for applications such as online banking, e-commerce, private messaging, and online gaming, among others. A hypervisor oversees a switch between an insecure environment and the secure environment, in response to a user input, or in response to an event such as receiving a telephone call. Switching from the insecure to the secure environment comprises transitioning the insecure environment to a sleeping state and loading the secure environment from a memory image (snapshot) saved to disk, after checking the integrity of the snapshot. Switching from the secure to the insecure environment comprises transitioning the secure environment into a sleeping state and waking up the insecure environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A host system comprising at least one processor configured to execute a hypervisor, the hypervisor configured to expose a client virtual machine (VM) and a secure VM, the client VM and secure VM executing alternately on the host system, wherein:
the client VM is configured to execute a VM switch application, the VM switch application configured, in response to detecting a trigger event indicative of a risk to a user's data security, to instruct an operating system of the client VM to perform a wake-to-sleep transition, the wake-to-sleep transition configured to transform the client VM from a state in which a peripheral device used by the client VM is in a high-powered condition to a state in which the peripheral device is in a low-powered condition; and
the hypervisor is further configured to switch execution to the secure VM, wherein switching execution to the secure VM comprises:
loading a pre-determined core VM snapshot into memory, the core VM snapshot being determined by initializing an operating system of the secure VM while hiding the peripheral device from the operating system of the secure VM;
in response to intercepting an event indicative of the wake-to-sleep transition, executing the core VM snapshot to launch the secure VM; and
in response to launching the secure VM, revealing the peripheral device to the operating system of the secure VM.

2. The host system of claim 1 , wherein switching execution to the secure VM further comprises, in response to loading the core VM snapshot, checking the integrity of the core VM snapshot.

3. The host system of claim 1 , wherein loading the core VM snapshot is performed in response to intercepting the event indicative of the wake-to-sleep transition.

4. The host system of claim 1 , wherein the secure VM is configured to perform an electronic communication with a remote computer system, and wherein the trigger event comprises receiving a user input indicative of the user's intent to perform the electronic communication.

5. The host system of claim 1 , wherein the trigger event comprises the host system receiving an electronic communication from a remote computer system.

6. The host system of claim 1 , wherein the host system comprises a telephone, and wherein the trigger event comprises the host system receiving a telephone call.

7. The host system of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral device comprises an item selected from a group consisting of a keyboard, a display adapter, and a network adapter.

8. The host system of claim 1 , wherein hiding the peripheral device comprises intercepting an attempt by the operating system of the secure VM to access a configuration space of a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus connecting the peripheral device to the at least one processor.

9. The host system of claim 1 , wherein intercepting the event indicative of the wake-to-sleep transition comprises intercepting an attempt by the operating system of the client VM to access a register of a power management controller of the host system.

10. The host system of claim 1 , wherein the hypervisor is further configured, in response to detecting an event indicating a user's intent to exit the secure VM, to instruct the operating system of the client VM to perform a sleep-to-wake transition, wherein the sleep-to-wake transition transforms the client VM from the state in which the peripheral device is in the low-powered condition to the state in which the peripheral device is in the high-powered condition.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a host system, configure the at least one processor to form a hypervisor configured to expose a client virtual machine (VM) and a secure VM, the client VM and secure VM executing alternately on the host system, wherein:
the client VM is configured to execute a VM switch application, the VM switch application configured, in response to detecting a trigger event indicative of a risk to a user's data security, to instruct an operating system of the client VM to perform a wake-to-sleep transition, the wake-to-sleep transition configured to transform the client VM from a state in which a peripheral device used by the client VM is in a high-powered condition to a state in which the peripheral device is in a low-powered condition; and
the hypervisor is further configured to switch execution to the secure VM, wherein switching execution to the secure VM comprises:
loading a pre-determined core VM snapshot into memory, the core VM snapshot being determined by initializing an operating system of the secure VM while hiding the peripheral device from the operating system of the secure VM;
in response to intercepting an event indicative of the wake-to-sleep transition, executing the core VM snapshot to launch the secure VM; and
in response to launching the secure VM, revealing the peripheral device to the operating system of the secure VM.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein switching execution to the secure VM further comprises, in response to loading the core VM snapshot, checking the integrity of the core VM snapshot.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein loading the core VM snapshot is performed in response to intercepting the event indicative of the wake-to-sleep transition.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the secure VM is configured to perform an electronic communication with a remote computer system, and wherein the trigger event comprises receiving a user input indicative of the user's intent to perform the electronic communication.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the trigger event comprises the host system receiving an electronic communication from a remote computer system.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the host system comprises a telephone, and wherein the trigger event comprises the host system receiving a telephone call.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the peripheral device comprises an item selected from a group consisting of a keyboard, a display adapter, and a network adapter.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein hiding the peripheral device comprises intercepting an attempt by the operating system of the secure VM to access a configuration space of a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus connecting the peripheral device to the at least one processor.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein intercepting the event indicative of the wake-to-sleep transition comprises intercepting an attempt by the operating system of the client VM to access a register of a power management controller of the host system.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the hypervisor is further configured, in response to detecting an event indicating a user's intent to exit the secure VM, to instruct the operating system of the client VM to perform a sleep-to-wake transition, wherein the sleep-to-wake transition transforms the client VM from the state in which the peripheral device is in the low-powered condition to the state in which the peripheral device is in the high-powered condition.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by at least one processor of a host system, configure the at least one processor to form a hypervisor configured to expose a client virtual machine (VM) and a secure VM, the client VM and secure VM execut

Assignees

• Bitdefender Ipr Man Ltd

Inventors

• Lukacs Sandor
• Ciocas Radu I
• Topan Vlad I
• Colesa Adrian V
• Tosa Raul V

Classifications

• G06F9/45558 Primary

  Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects · CPC title

• G06F9/4843

  by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system · CPC title

• G06F2009/45587

  Isolation or security of virtual machine instances · CPC title

• G06F9/461

  Saving or restoring of program or task context · CPC title