User Space Process Credential Management Through Integrity Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing security measures for computer platforms face challenges in managing user space process credentials, particularly in remote or large-scale environments, where human intervention is impractical, and there is a lack of mechanisms to revoke credentials for compromised processes, posing security risks, especially for peripheral devices providing critical security services.
Innovation Solution
A host credential management infrastructure involving a verification agent and a helper agent manages credentials for user space processes, determining trustworthiness through integrity measurements and continuously re-evaluating processes, revoking credentials if compromised, and using secure communication channels to authenticate and manage access without human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual credential management is used for user space processes, then human intervention can verify trustworthiness, but it becomes impractical in remote or large-scale environments
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated credential management where the verification agent on the peripheral device independently evaluates user space processes using integrity measurements and trust models, eliminating the need for human intervention in credential issuance and revocation decisions
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors user space processes through integrity measurements and feedback loops, automatically revoking credentials when trustworthiness deteriorates, creating a self-regulating credential management system that adapts to changing security conditions
2Adaptability or versatility
If credentials are issued to user space processes for peripheral device access, then process functionality is enabled, but security risks increase when processes become compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The credential management system transitions from static credential issuance to dynamic credential validation, continuously assessing process trustworthiness through integrity measurements and adjusting credential validity status based on real-time security conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a trust model and integrity measurement framework before credentials are issued, creating preventive security mechanisms that identify and revoke compromised process credentials before they can cause harm
3Reliability
If continuous monitoring of user space processes is implemented, then credential revocation for compromised processes is enabled, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The verification agent serves as an intermediary component on the peripheral device that handles continuous monitoring and trust evaluation, isolating the complexity of security monitoring from the main system while enabling automated credential management
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-configures trust models and integrity measurement criteria before operation, allowing the verification agent to automatically evaluate process trustworthiness using predetermined standards without requiring complex real-time decision-making logic
Data Source
AI summary
A technique includes communicating with an operating system-based kernel of a host and receiving, from an operating system-based kernel, an integrity measurement of a user space process of the host. The technique includes verifying, based on the integrity measurement, whether a first state of the user space process corresponds to an expected state for the user space process. The technique includes, responsive to verification that the first state corresponds to the expected state, communicating with the kernel to provision an authentication credential for the user space process to allow the user space process to use a service provided by the peripheral device.