Key management using trusted platform modules

US9026805B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC · US

Inventors

• Tolga Acar · Sammamish, US
• Brian A. LaMacchia · Seattle, US
• Henry Jerez Morales · Seattle, US
• Lan Duy Nguyen · Bellevue, US
• David Robinson · Seattle, US
• Talha Bin Tariq · Bellevue, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 30, 2010
• Grant date: May 5, 2015
• Expiry date: Dec 30, 2030

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F21/602
• WIPO field: Digital communication
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Described herein are techniques for distributed key management (DKM) in cooperation with Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs). The use of TPMs strengthens the storage and processing security surrounding management of distributed keys. DKM-managed secret keys are not persistently stored in clear form. In effect, the TPMs of participating DKM nodes provide security for DKM keys, and a DKM key, once decrypted with a TPM, is available to be used from memory for ordinary cryptographic operations to encrypt and decrypt user data. TPM public keys can be used to determine the set of trusted nodes to which TPM-encrypted secret keys can be distributed.