Virtual Machine Secure Boot via Hypervisor Trap Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtualization technologies lack a reliable method to verify the integrity of boot components and restore corrupt files before booting a virtual machine, particularly in the face of threats like bootkits, where the hypervisor or virtualization host's higher privileges are not utilized effectively for secure booting.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that uses a trap to temporarily interrupt the virtual machine's boot process, allowing higher-level access to the virtual disk to verify the integrity of boot files and sequences by comparing them with a trusted boot image, and restore any forged data using a trusted boot image stored in image storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the hypervisor or virtualization host is used as a root-of-trust with higher privileges, then the ability to verify boot component integrity is improved, but the complexity of the boot verification system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a trap generation unit as an intermediary mechanism between the virtual machine and the hypervisor. When a trap is generated during boot, the hypervisor intercepts it and gains temporary higher privileges to access the virtual disk and verify boot components. This intermediary trap mechanism enables the hypervisor to act as a root-of-trust without requiring permanent system complexity changes, resolving the contradiction between verification reliability and system complexity.
2Reliability
If the boot process is interrupted to verify integrity, then the security verification capability is improved, but the boot time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by generating a trap at the very beginning of the boot process, before the virtual machine fully boots. This allows the hypervisor to verify the integrity of boot components (such as VXD files and boot sequences) before they are executed. By performing verification in advance during the initial trap interruption rather than after boot completion, the system maintains high security verification capability while minimizing the time added to the overall boot process.
3Measurement precision
If the virtual disk is accessed using higher-level access privileges, then the ability to detect forged boot files is improved, but the operational complexity of disk access increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the disk access privilege level dynamic rather than static. During normal virtual machine operation, the virtual machine accesses the virtual disk with standard privileges. However, when a trap is generated during boot, the system dynamically transitions to higher-level access privileges for the duration of the verification process, allowing detection of forged boot files. After verification completes, the system returns to normal privilege levels. This dynamic privilege adjustment improves detection accuracy while avoiding permanent operational complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are an apparatus and method for booting a virtual machine. The apparatus for booting a virtual machine includes: an access unit for accessing a virtual disk, corresponding to a virtual machine that exists in a virtualization area, using a trap generated by a trap generation unit, and for controlling the input and output of data stored in the virtual disk; an extraction unit for extracting data used for booting from the virtual disk; and a verification unit for extracting a trusted boot image from image storage and verifying the integrity of the data used for booting based on a result of comparing the trusted boot image with the data used for booting.