Portable Verification Device for Software Trust Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current security technologies, such as the Next-Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB), lack the ability to distinguish between trusted and rogue programs, making it impossible for users to verify the authenticity of software running on their computers, especially after an Internet connection has been compromised.
Innovation Solution
A portable, preferably wireless device is used to communicate with the CPU to verify the trustworthiness of programs by generating a random identifier, encrypting it, and sending it to the program within the CPU, with the trusted program able to return the identifier, indicating its trustworthiness to the user, and utilizing a trusted platform module to generate a response signal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a security technology like NGSCB is implemented to enhance data protection and system integrity, then system security and trustworthiness are improved, but the ability to verify whether a program is truly trusted deteriorates because no method exists to distinguish between trusted and rogue programs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a portable verification device as an intermediary between the user and the computer system. This device contains a verification program that communicates with the trusted platform module (TPM) in the CPU to obtain cryptographic proof of program trustworthiness. The intermediary handles the complex verification process, allowing users to easily determine whether a program is trusted without compromising system security.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a rogue program enters the computer through Internet connection, then the system becomes vulnerable to espionage and data theft, but existing security technologies provide no means for users to detect or distinguish the rogue program from legitimate programs
Solution Approach 1:
The verification program establishes a feedback mechanism where the trusted platform module provides cryptographic responses to verification challenges. The portable device sends test signals to the TPM, receives encrypted responses, and compares them against expected values. This feedback loop enables precise detection of program authenticity, allowing users to identify rogue programs that may have infiltrated the system through Internet connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary verification actions by checking program trustworthiness before allowing execution or data access. The verification program can proactively test whether a program is trusted by communicating with the TPM and validating cryptographic proofs, preventing rogue programs from operating undetected and protecting sensitive information before potential compromise occurs.
Data Source
AI summary
A secure computer system includes a central processing unit in which plural programs reside. The system includes means for verifying whether the at least one program is trusted or not trusted. That means can be an external key device that includes a verification program that can communicate with the programs residing within the central processing unit.