Secure Subsystem Isolating Secret Data Objects
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional data storage systems face security breaches due to the accessibility of secret information by both security and unsecure system firmware, as they share common microprocessors, compromising the security of encryption keys and other sensitive data.
Innovation Solution
A secure subsystem is introduced that isolates components performing secure operations from general-purpose components, limiting communication between secure and unsecure components to protect secret data objects, utilizing a dedicated secure processor, secure hardware registers, and security assist hardware circuits within a defined secure boundary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a common microprocessor is used for both secure and unsecure operations, then device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but security of secret data objects deteriorates because unsecure firmware can access encryption keys
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into a secure subsystem and unsecure components. The secure subsystem includes a dedicated secure processor, secure hardware registers, and security assist hardware circuits that are physically isolated from unsecure firmware, preventing unauthorized access to encryption keys while maintaining separate functional domains within the storage device
Solution Approach 2:
The secure operations are extracted from the common microprocessor and placed into a dedicated secure processor within the secure subsystem. This extraction removes the security-critical functions from the general-purpose processor, ensuring that unsecure firmware cannot access the secret data objects stored in secure memory
2Ease of operation
If secret data objects are stored in internal SOC memory accessible by the processor, then ease of operation is improved and access speed is increased, but security deteriorates because any device accessing SOC components can access secret data
Solution Approach 1:
Memory is segmented into secure memory for storing secret data objects and unsecure memory for general operations. The secure memory is only accessible through the secure processor and secure hardware registers, creating a memory hierarchy that enforces security boundaries while maintaining efficient access paths within the secure domain
Solution Approach 2:
Secure hardware registers act as an intermediary between unsecure components and secret data objects. These registers provide a controlled interface that allows unsecure firmware to request secure operations without directly accessing the secret data, maintaining security while enabling operational flexibility
Data Source
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AI summary
Apparatuses and methods for performing secure operations with a dedicated secure processor is described in one embodiment. The apparatus includes security firmware defining secure operations, a processor configured to execute the security firmware and perform a set of operations limited to the secure operations, and a plurality of secure hardware registers, accessible by the processor and configured to receive instructions to perform the secure operations. An apparatus for performing secure operations with a plurality of security assist hardware circuits is described in another embodiment. The apparatus comprises one or more secure hardware registers configured to receive a command to perform secure operations and one or more security assist hardware circuits configured to perform discrete secure operations using one or more secret data objects.