Isolated Operating Environments for Secure User Input
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Solution Overview
Problem
Computer platforms are vulnerable to modification and data security breaches, particularly when interacting with third parties, leading to potential misappropriation of user secrets due to unreliable security measures in conventional systems.
Innovation Solution
A computing platform with three isolated operating environments - General Purpose Component, Isolated Component with Secrets, and Input Isolated Component - ensures secure user input by restricting communication between environments to secure paths, allowing trusted user input to be processed and managed securely within the Isolated Component, preventing unauthorized access and data exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional computing platforms are used for third-party interactions, then ease of operation is improved, but security reliability deteriorates due to vulnerability to modification and malicious code
Solution Approach 1:
The computing platform is divided into three isolated operating environments: a first environment for applications requiring user input, a second environment for secure processing of user secrets, and a third environment for secure communication with input devices. This segmentation prevents malicious code in the first environment from directly accessing user secrets, as communication between environments occurs only through controlled secure paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The third isolated operating environment acts as an intermediary between the user input device and the application environment. It provides a secure communication channel that verifies the integrity of input data before passing it to the second environment for secure processing, thereby preventing tampering while maintaining ease of operation.
2Reliability
If specialised hardware is used for secure processing, then security reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding specialised hardware dimensions, the solution introduces a new dimension of isolation by creating separate operating environments that run on conventional hardware. This virtualization approach provides security through logical separation rather than physical hardware complexity, maintaining compatibility with standard computing platforms.
Solution Approach 2:
The isolated operating environments are designed to work with conventional computing platform hardware, making the security solution universally applicable without requiring specialised components. The same hardware can support both standard applications and secure processing through the isolated environment architecture.
3Ease of operation
If user secrets are stored on conventional platforms, then ease of operation is improved, but vulnerability to misappropriation increases
Solution Approach 1:
User secrets are extracted from the first isolated operating environment where applications run, and placed into the second isolated operating environment dedicated to secure processing. This extraction removes secrets from the vulnerable environment where malicious code may exist, while applications can still request and use these secrets through controlled secure paths without direct access.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing platform (20) is adapted for secure use of trusted user input. The computing platform (20) comprises a user input device (14), a first isolated operating environment (21) for execution of applications requiring use of trusted user input, a second isolated operating environment (22) adapted for secure processing of information relating to a user, and a third isolated operating environment (23) adapted for secure communication with the user input device (14). In this computing platform, no isolated operating environment can communicate with another isolated operating environment other than by a secure path (26, 27) therebetween. When an application executing in the first isolated operating environment requires provision of trusted user input, the user provides user input through the user input device (14) to the third isolated operating environment (23). The user input is then provided to the second isolated operating environment (22), and the second isolated operating environment (22) provides a service relating to the trusted user input as required by the application executing in the first operating environment (21).