Trusted Telemetry Mechanism for Tamper-Resistant Data Collection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for collecting telemetry data in cloud-based data centers rely on software, which is inherently untrustworthy and susceptible to manipulation, making it difficult to ensure accuracy and trustworthiness of the data for performance metrics and service level agreements.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a trusted telemetry mechanism using firmware-based components and secure communication channels that are transparent to software, allowing for secure collection and storage of telemetry data in a manner inaccessible to software running on the compute platform, such as using a telemetry driver within a Type-1 hypervisor or operating system virtualization layer, and storing data in secure memory areas like SRAM or registers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If software is used to collect telemetry data, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to susceptibility to manipulation and hacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces firmware as an intermediary layer between the hardware and software. The firmware-based telemetry driver collects telemetry data directly from hardware components, acting as a trusted mediator that prevents software from manipulating the data collection process. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of software operation while ensuring reliability through the firmware's protected execution environment.
2Reliability
If firmware-based trusted telemetry mechanism is implemented, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the system into distinct layers: hardware, firmware (with trusted telemetry driver), and software. The firmware layer is further segmented into protected and unprotected memory regions. This segmentation allows the trusted telemetry functionality to be isolated in a protected firmware segment, improving reliability without requiring complete system redesign and limiting the complexity impact to specific segments rather than the entire system.
3Reliability
If telemetry data is stored in secure memory inaccessible to software, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The firmware acts as an intermediary that manages access to secure memory. While software cannot directly access telemetry data stored in protected memory regions, the firmware provides controlled access pathways through its trusted driver interface. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining data security in protected memory while allowing legitimate operations to proceed through the firmware mediator.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent allows telemetry data to be copied from secure protected memory to unprotected memory regions when needed, under firmware control. This copying mechanism enables software to access telemetry data for legitimate purposes without compromising the security of the primary storage location, thus maintaining both reliability and operational ease.
Data Source
AI summary
Trusted platform telemetry mechanisms and associated methods, apparatus, and firmware components. Trusted telemetry mechanisms are provided for securely collecting platform telemetry data from telemetry data sources on a compute platform, such as machine specific registers (MSRs), device registers, system management bus (SMBus) and memory controllers. The telemetry data is collected from the telemetry data sources using various mechanisms, and securely stored on the compute platform in a manner that is inaccessible to software running on the compute platform. A submission queue and completion queue model may also be implemented to facilitate collection of telemetry data. In addition, a memory-mapped input-output (MMIO) aliasing scheme is provided to facilitate collection of telemetry data from platform telemetry data sources using various access mechanisms.