Secure Tag Management for State Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Devices are vulnerable to malware and physical attacks, which can compromise program secrets and circumvent program controls, especially in environments with shared hardware resources and potential for side-channel attacks.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of software obfuscation techniques in conjunction with a relatively small secure hardware assist, which includes secure tag management and key derivation for encrypting and decrypting state information, to protect program state and prevent unauthorized access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If software obfuscation techniques are implemented with minimal secure hardware assist, then device complexity is reduced, but security protection against malware and physical attacks is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a trusted execution environment (TEE) as an intermediary component that mediates between the unprotected main execution environment and the security requirements. The TEE provides a secure enclave that protects cryptographic keys and sensitive operations, while allowing the rest of the system to remain simple and unhardened. This resolves the contradiction by providing security protection through a dedicated intermediary rather than requiring comprehensive hardware hardening of the entire device.
2Reliability
If comprehensive hardware hardening is implemented to protect against physical attacks, then security protection is improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the device into distinct execution environments: a main execution environment for general applications and a trusted execution environment for security-critical operations. By dividing the system this way, only the TEE portion requires hardware hardening and security protections, while the main environment can remain simple and flexible. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by localizing security requirements to a small portion of the overall system.
3Reliability
If secure hardware elements are extensively integrated to mitigate physical attacks, then security protection is improved, but ease of manufacture and device cost worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal trusted execution environment that can serve multiple security functions and applications. The TEE provides cryptographic key protection, secure random number generation, and authenticated operations that can be shared across different applications and use cases. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by providing extensive security protection through a single versatile hardware component rather than requiring multiple specialized secure elements, thereby simplifying manufacturing.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to systems and methods for managing state using relatively small assistance from protected hardware. Obfuscated code segments may communicate with supporting protected hardware, store encrypted state values in main memory, and/or communicate via secure channels to secure platform hardware components. In various embodiments, consistent state may be achieved, at least in part, by computing secure tag information and storing the secure tag information in a secure and/or otherwise protected device register. Consistent with embodiments disclosed herein, the tag information may be used to derive keys used to encrypt and/or decrypt stored state information. Tag information may further be used in connection with verification operations prior to using the information to derive associated keys.