Cloud Secure Boot Attestation via Manifest Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In a cloud platform environment, users face challenges in securely and autonomously validating the integrity of provisioned operating system images and ensuring secure booting using desired keys, particularly with bare metal servers managed by third-party providers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a manifest generator tool that produces signed metadata of system provisioning artifacts, integrated with continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) techniques or as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution, allows users to securely provision operating systems on off-premises hardware, and an attestation service verifies the integrity of the provisioned system against user-registered intent.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users deploy operating system images on third-party cloud platform hardware, then accessibility and cloud service utilization are improved, but security control and integrity validation capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by generating a manifest file that identifies system provisioning artifacts before the operating system is installed on cloud hardware. This manifest is created during the CI/CD process and signed with a private key, establishing a trusted reference state in advance that can later be used for integrity validation without requiring changes to the cloud deployment process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary attestation service that mediates between the user and the cloud platform hardware. This service receives the manifest, compares it against the actual system state after deployment, and provides cryptographic attestation of integrity. The intermediary enables users to validate cloud-deployed systems without having direct access to or control over the underlying hardware
2Ease of operation
If third-party cloud platforms manage bare metal servers, then device accessibility and resource availability are improved, but security control and autonomous validation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by enabling users to autonomously validate the integrity of their operating system deployments without requiring intervention from cloud platform administrators or security experts. The manifest generator tool and attestation service allow users to independently verify that their systems were provisioned correctly and have not been compromised, shifting security validation from a provider-managed function to a user-controlled process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a feedback mechanism where the attestation service continuously monitors and validates the system state against the original manifest. This feedback loop provides users with cryptographic proof of system integrity, enabling them to detect and respond to unauthorized modifications or compromises. The feedback transforms security from a static configuration into an active, verifiable process
Data Source
AI summary
A system can receive, in association with a user account, an operating system image that is encrypted with a private key, a manifest generated from a first instance of a manifest generator tool that is configured to identify system provisioning artifacts that is encrypted with the private key, and a public key. The system can install the operating system image on a computing device. The system can generate, with a second instance of the manifest generator tool, a first identification of system provisioning artifacts from the installing of the operating system image. The system can send the first identification of system provisioning artifacts to an attestation service, wherein the attestation service is configured to compare the first identification of system provisioning artifacts with a second identification of system provisioning artifacts received in association with the user account, and send, for access via the user account, an indication of whether the first identification of system provisioning artifacts matches the second identification of system provisioning artifacts.