Pre-boot Enclave Launch Token Authentication for Air-gapped Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Systems without internet connectivity, such as 'air-gapped' systems, face challenges in verifying the genuineness of enclaves due to the reliance on remote provisioning methods that require internet connections for security reasons.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a pre-boot environment that launches a pre-boot launch enclave to create and authenticate launch tokens, which are then used to launch a pre-boot quoting enclave to generate cryptographic keys, allowing for the verification of enclave authenticity and secure communication channels without relying on internet connectivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If remote provisioning methods are used to verify enclave genuineness, then security verification capability is improved, but internet connectivity requirement worsens the isolation capability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-provisioning enclaves during manufacturing or initial setup with embedded cryptographic credentials and launch tokens. This allows the enclaves to be verified later without requiring internet connectivity, as all necessary verification materials are already embedded in the enclave itself. The pre-boot launch enclave creates and authenticates launch tokens beforehand, enabling offline verification of application enclaves.
2Adaptability or versatility
If air-gapped isolation is implemented, then security isolation capability is improved, but enclave verification capability worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling enclaves to carry their own cryptographic credentials and verification materials internally. The pre-boot launch enclave generates launch tokens that are embedded within application enclaves, allowing them to prove their authenticity independently without external verification services. The quoting enclave uses these embedded tokens to generate quotes that verify enclave genuineness entirely offline, making the system self-sufficient for verification purposes.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method comprising: launching, by a pre-boot environment, a pre-boot launch enclave (LE); creating, by the pre-boot LE, a launch token for a pre-boot quoting enclave (QE); authenticating, by the pre-boot LE, the launch token; launching, by the pre-boot environment with the launch token in response to the authentication, the pre-boot QE; generating, by the pre-boot QE, a public provisioning key, a private provisioning key, and an attestation key; verifying, by the pre-boot QE with a public key, authenticity of a device; securing, by the pre-boot QE with the public provisioning key, private provisioning key, and the public key, a communication channel with the device; encrypting, by the pre-boot QE with a system specific seal key, the public provisioning key, the private provisioning key, and the attestation key; and storing, by the pre-boot QE, the encrypted public provisioning key, the encrypted private provisioning key, and the encrypted attestation key in the device.