Patent · US Active

Software enhanced trusted platform module

US8122514B2 · kind B2 · utility

2Cited by
1References
17Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 30, 2008
Grant dateFeb 21, 2012
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 16, 2030

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F21/57
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Computer-executable instructions can implement a software-based Trusted Platform Module (TPM) that can have more computational power than the hardware TPM. The software TPM can be protected from modification, or other unauthorized access, via a memory partitioning scheme that enables other computer-executable instructions to access the software TPM in a predefined manner, but yet prohibits other access. A tri-partied partitioning scheme can be used wherein the computer executable instructions of the software TPM reside in a first region, a jump table to appropriate ones of those instructions resides in a second region, and everything else resides in the third region. The storage key of the software TPM can be sealed by the hardware TPM to be released only if the software TPM, and the computing device, are in a known good state, as determined by the Platform Configuration Registers of the hardware TPM, thereby further protecting the software TPM from tampering.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.