Multi-Key Cryptographic Memory Protection for Tenant Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data stored in system memory is vulnerable to attacks, as it is often in plaintext and unprotected, and existing memory encryption methods may not provide sufficient isolation between different users or tenants, especially in cloud service environments.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a cryptographic memory protection system with a memory protection engine that supports multiple encryption keys and is configurable, allowing separate encryption for different regions or pages of memory using unique keys for each tenant or domain, and providing cryptographic isolation for workloads of different tenants, customers, or users.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If memory encryption is implemented for cloud service providers hosting multiple customers, then security and data protection are improved, but device complexity and key management overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the encryption system into multiple independent key domains, where each tenant or customer is assigned a unique encryption key. This segmentation allows each customer's data to be encrypted with their own key, providing isolation and security while enabling independent key management for each segment rather than managing one large complex key system for all customers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a memory protection engine as an intermediary component that manages the encryption and decryption operations. This intermediary handles the complexity of key management, encryption algorithms, and decryption processes, shielding the main system from direct complexity while ensuring secure memory access for multiple tenants with different keys
2Reliability
If separate encryption keys are used for different tenants or domains, then cryptographic isolation and security are improved, but performance overhead increases due to multiple encryption operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the encryption and decryption operations into the memory access path itself, using the memory protection engine to perform cryptographic operations in-line with memory reads and writes. This combining of encryption/decryption with memory access operations reduces the performance overhead by eliminating separate encryption/decryption steps that would otherwise add significant latency to memory operations
3Ease of operation
If uniform memory protection is provided for all hosted workloads, then ease of operation is improved, but security isolation between different tenants deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic key selection mechanism where the memory protection engine automatically selects the appropriate encryption key based on the memory address being accessed. This dynamic behavior allows the system to provide uniform protection configuration across all workloads while simultaneously maintaining strong tenant isolation, as the correct key is automatically chosen for each memory region without requiring complex manual configuration
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a processor to execute instruction(s), wherein the instructions comprise a memory access operation associated with a memory location of a memory. The apparatus further comprises a memory encryption controller to: identify the memory access operation; determine that the memory location is associated with a protected domain, wherein the protected domain is associated with a protected memory region of the memory, and wherein the protected domain is identified from a plurality of protected domains associated with a plurality of protected memory regions of the memory; identify an encryption key associated with the protected domain; perform a cryptography operation on data associated with the memory access operation, wherein the cryptography operation is performed based on the encryption key associated with the protected domain; and return a result of the cryptography operation, wherein the result is to be used for the memory access operation.