Virtual Secure Execution Bubbles for Data Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In distributed and virtual computer systems, maintaining data and application security is challenging, especially when users require assurance that malicious applications cannot temporarily gain trusted status on host machines, compromising encryption security, particularly in environments where sensitive data is stored by computing resource service providers.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of 'bubbles' – secure execution environments within virtual machines, isolated from unauthorized access, using trusted asymmetrical cryptographic keys and hypervisor-controlled communication to ensure data integrity and confidentiality, allowing secure execution of code and access to sensitive data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is encrypted to improve security, then data confidentiality is improved, but users require additional assurances that malicious applications cannot gain access to encryption keys
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the virtual machine environment into isolated bubbles, each containing encrypted data and encryption keys. These bubbles are separated from the host system and other virtual machines through hardware-enforced memory encryption, preventing malicious applications from accessing encryption keys even if they compromise the host system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a trusted platform module (TPM) and hardware-enforced memory encryption as intermediary layers between the encryption keys and potential attackers. These intermediaries provide additional security assurances by physically protecting keys from unauthorized access, addressing user concerns about key security without requiring complex software-based solutions.
2Reliability
If isolated execution environments are created to prevent unauthorized access, then security is improved, but system resource utilization and productivity may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple security-isolated bubbles onto a single physical host system, allowing them to share hardware resources such as CPU, memory, and storage. The hypervisor manages resource allocation among bubbles, enabling high resource utilization while maintaining security isolation through hardware-enforced memory encryption and controlled communication channels.
Solution Approach 2:
The bubble execution environment is designed as a universal platform that can host multiple different applications and workloads with varying security requirements. Each bubble can be configured with appropriate resource allocations and security parameters, allowing the same infrastructure to serve multiple purposes while maintaining isolation and efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for running an additional execution environment associated with a primary execution environment, receiving a request from the primary execution environment to create the additional execution environment, and, in response to the request, creating the additional execution environment such that entities other than the primary execution environment have insufficient privileges to access the additional execution environment.