ROMP Attestation Validity Enforcement for Trusted Software Interaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ROMP technologies do not provide a solution for determining if a software component at a client system is protected by ROMP when a relying party system communicates with it, leaving systems vulnerable to data corruption and attacks.
Innovation Solution
Generation of an attestation report that certifies the presence and properties of ROMP-protected software components, allowing the relying system to verify integrity before engaging in communication or data transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If ROMP technology is implemented to protect software components, then security against data corruption and attacks is improved, but the ability of relying party systems to verify protection status deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an attestation service as an intermediary between the software component and the relying party system. This service generates and manages attestation reports that verify the ROMP protection status, allowing the relying party to confirm security without directly accessing or understanding the complex ROMP implementation details.
Solution Approach 2:
The attestation mechanism provides feedback to the relying party system about the current protection status of software components. By continuously generating attestation reports that reflect the current state of ROMP protection, the system enables verifying parties to make informed decisions about trust and security.
2Reliability
If traditional hardware-based read-only memory is used, then protection against modification is improved, but hardware requirements and system complexity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional hardware-based read-only memory with a software-based implementation using virtual memory management and page table protections. This substitution maintains the functional equivalent of read-only protection while eliminating the need for specialized hardware, thereby reducing system complexity and hardware requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the state of memory from traditionally read-only to read/write by using virtualization and access control lists. By modifying the memory access parameters through virtual memory mechanisms, the system achieves protection without requiring physical read-only memory hardware, thus reducing hardware complexity while maintaining security.
Data Source
AI summary
Enforcing attestation of read-only protected memory during attestation validity period. A client computer system identifies a change in a read-only protected memory protection status for a software component loaded at the client computer system. The client computer system then determines that a validity time period of an attestation report is unexpired. The attestation report comprises one or more attested properties, including one or more read-only memory protection (ROMP) attested properties for the software component. The client computer system also determines that at least one ROMP attested property for the software component is no longer valid due to the change in the read-only protected memory protection status for a software component. Based on the at least one ROMP attested property for the software component being no longer valid, the client computer system initiates a remedial action to prevent interaction of the software component with a relying party computer system.