Trusted platforms using minimal hardware resources

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9953167-B2
Application number	US-201514880746-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2015
Priority date	Oct 12, 2015
Publication date	Apr 24, 2018
Grant date	Apr 24, 2018

Abstract

Systems and methods facilitating a framework that provides a core trusted computing base (TCB) of an electronic device with various security capabilities. The framework can include a low-resource device and at least one distributed resource. The low-resource device can be configured to generate sealing keys, migration keys, and attestation keys that are based on a device secret associated with the low-resource device and one or more software modules. The low-resource device can further be configured to use the migration keys and the sealing keys to both verify a software update and migrate secrets from a previous version of the software to a newer version of the software. Additionally, the low-resource device can be configured to generate an attestation statement using the attestation keys and perform attestation using the attestation statement and the at least one distributed resource.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a processor; and
a computer-readable medium including modules, the modules when executed by the processor, configure the device to perform a boot process, the modules comprising:
a cryptographic module configured to generate, using a fuse-derived secret value, a sealing seed for re-verifying a software component that has been previously verified by the device after a software update and signed by the device using an authentication code; and
a verification module configured to:
retrieve a software descriptor associated with the software component;
verify the software component using the software descriptor and the sealing seed; and
based at least in part on verifying the software component, cause the device to continue performing the boot process, wherein the cryptographic module is further configure to generate a sealing key for the software component based at least partially on one or more of the sealing seed and the software descriptor; and

a sealing module configured to seal secrets of the software component using the sealing key.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein to verify the software component using the software descriptor and the sealing seed, the verification module is configured to check the authentication code on the software descriptor using the sealing seed.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing key for the software component is generated based at least partially on the sealing seed and the software descriptor.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein to seal the secrets using the sealing key, the sealing module is configured to:
generate one of more encryption keys using the sealing key; and
encrypt the secrets of the software component using the one or more encryption keys.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the verification module is further configured to:
verify an additional software component using a software descriptor associated with the additional software component and the sealing key.

6. The device according to claim 1 , where in the device comprises a low-resource device.

7. A method comprising:
generating, using a fuse-derived secret value, a sealing seed for re-verifying a software component that has been previously verified by a device after a software update and signed by the device using an authentication code;
retrieving a software descriptor associated with the software component;
generating a sealing key for the software component based at least partially on one or more of the sealing seed and the software descriptor;
verifying the software component using the software descriptor and the sealing seed;
based at least in part on verifying the software component, causing the device to continue performing a boot process; and
sealing secrets of the software component using the sealing key.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein verifying the software component using the software descriptor and the sealing seed comprises checking the authentication code on the software descriptor using the sealing seed.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the sealing key for the software component is generated based at least partially on the sealing seed and the software descriptor.

10. The method according to claim 7 , wherein sealing the secrets of the software component using the sealing key comprises:
generating one of more encryption keys using the sealing key; and
encrypting the secrets of the software component using the one or more encryption keys.

11. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
verifying an additional software component using a software descriptor associated with the additional software component and the sealing key.

12. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the device comprises a low-resource device.

13. A device comprising:
one or more processors; and
one or more computer-readable media storing instruction that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processor to perform operations comprising:
generating, using a fuse-derived secret value, a sealing seed for re-verifying a software component that has been previously verified by the device after a software update and signed by the device using an authentication code;
retrieving a software descriptor associated with the software component;
generating a sealing key for the software component based at least partially on one or more of the sealing seed and the software descriptor;
verifying the software component using the software descriptor and the sealing seed;
based at least in part on verifying the software component, causing the device to continue performing a boot process; and
sealing secrets of the software component using the sealing key.

14. The device according to claim 13 , wherein verifying the software component using the software descriptor and the sealing seed comprises checking the authentication code on the software descriptor using the sealing seed.

15. The device according to claim 13 , wherein the sealing key for the software component is generated based at least partially on the sealing seed and the software descriptor.

16. The device according to claim 13 , wherein sealing the secrets of the software component using the sealing key comprises:
generating one of more encryption keys using the sealing key; and
encrypting the secrets of the software component using the one or more encryption keys.

17. The device according to claim 13 , wherein the operations further comprise:
verifying an additional software component using a software descriptor associated with the additional software component and the sealing key.

18. The device according to claim 13 , where in the device comprises a low-resource device.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Wooten David R
• Marochko Andrey
• Mattoon Dennis
• England Paul

Classifications

• G06F21/51 Primary

  at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability · CPC title

• H04L9/0861

  Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords · CPC title

• H04L9/0866

  involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics · CPC title

• G06F11/1417

  Boot up procedures · CPC title

• G06F21/575 Primary

  Secure boot · CPC title