Virtualized trusted storage

• US 10,162,767 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Inventors: Spurlock, Joel R., Zhang, Zheng, Kapoor, Aditya, Edwards, Jonathan L., Pham, Khai N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hiep T
• Application Number:
  US14/752,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20160378685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,277 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/145 the protection being virtual, e.g. for virtual blocks or segments before a translation mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/78 to assure secure storage of data address-based protection against unauthorised use of memory G06F12/14; record carriers for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1052 Security improvement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Particular embodiments described herein provide for an electronic device that can be configured to receive a request from a process to access data is a system, determine if the data is in a virtualized protected area of memory in the system, and allow access to the data if the data is in the virtualized protected area of memory and the process is a trusted process. The electronic device can also be configured to determine if new data should be protected, store the new data in the virtualized protected area of memory in the system if the new data should be protected, and store the new data in an unprotected area of memory in the system if the new data should not be protected.

Claims

1. At least one non-transitory machine readable medium comprising one or more instructions that when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

receive a request from a process to access data in a system;

determine whether the data is in a virtualized protected area of memory in the system, wherein the virtualized protected area of memory is a secure storage area and wherein the data is stored unencrypted; and

responsive to determining that the data is not in a virtualized protected area of memory, allow access to the data;

or

responsive to determining that the data is in a virtualized protected area of memory, determine whether the process is a trusted process; and

allow access to the data based on a determination that the data is in the virtualized protected area of memory and the process is a trusted process.

2. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, further comprising one or more instructions that when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to:

determine whether new data should be protected;

store the new data unencrypted in the virtualized protected area of memory in the system based on a determination that the new data should be protected; and

store the new data in an unprotected area of memory in the system based on a determination that the new data should not be protected.

3. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the virtualized protected area of memory is a secured vault.

4. The at least one machine non-transitory readable medium of claim 1, wherein the virtualized protected area of memory is a cloud vault.

5. The at least one non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein a filter driver controls input and output access to the virtualized protected area of memory.

6. An apparatus comprising:

a hardware processor configured to;

receive a request from a process to access data in a system;

determine whether the data is in a virtualized protected area of memory in the system, wherein the virtualized protected area of memory is a secure storage area and wherein the data is stored unencrypted; and

responsive to determining that the data is not in a virtualized protected area of memory, allow access to the data;

or

responsive to determining that the data is in a virtualized protected area of memory, determine whether the process is a trusted process; and

allow access to the data based on a determination that the data is in the virtualized protected area of memory and the process is a trusted process.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

determine whether new data should be protected;

store the new data unencrypted in the virtualized protected area of memory in the system based on a determination that the new data should be protected; and

store the new data in an unprotected area of memory in the system based on a determination that the new data should not be protected.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the virtualized protected area of memory is a secured vault.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the virtualized protected area of memory is a cloud vault.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein a filter driver controls input and output access to the virtualized protected area of memory.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a request from a process to access data in a system;

determining whether the data is in a virtualized protected area of memory in the system, wherein the virtualized protected area of memory is a secure storage area and wherein the data is stored unencrypted; and

responsive to determining that the data is not in a virtualized protected area of memory, allowing access to the data;

or

responsive to determining that the data is in a virtualized protected area of memory, determining whether the process is a trusted process; and

allowing access to the data based on a determination that the data is in the virtualized protected area of memory and the process is a trusted process.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether new data should be protected;

storing the new data unencrypted in the virtualized protected area of memory in the system based on a determination that the new data should be protected; and

storing the new data in an unprotected area of memory in the system based on a determination that the new data should not be protected.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the virtualized protected area of memory is a secured vault.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the virtualized protected area of memory is a cloud vault.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

denying access to the data based on a determination that the data is in the virtualized protected area of memory and the process is an untrusted process.

16. A system for virtualized trusted secure storage, the system comprising:

a hardware processor configured to;

receive a request from a process to access data in a system;

determine whether the data is in a virtualized protected area of memory in the system, wherein the virtualized protected area of memory is a secure storage area and wherein the data is stored unencrypted; and

responsive to determining that the data is not in a virtualized protected area of memory, allow access to the data;

or

responsive to determining that the data is in a virtualized protected area of memory, determine whether the process is a trusted process; and

allow access to the data based on a determination that the data is in the virtualized protected area of memory and the process is a trusted process.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the system is further configured to:

determine whether new data should be protected;

store the new data unencrypted in the virtualized protected area of memory in the system based on a determination that the new data should be protected; and

store the new data in an unprotected area of memory in the system based on a determination that the new data should not be protected.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the virtualized protected area of memory is a secured vault.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the virtualized protected area of memory is a cloud vault.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein a filter driver controls input and output access to the virtualized protected area of memory.