Devices, systems, and methods for monitoring and asserting trust level using persistent trust log

• US 9,177,129 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2012
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Grobman, Steven L., Sengupta, Uttam K., Permeh, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): Vostal, O. C.
• Application Number:
  US13/534,321
• Publication Number:
  US 20140006789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 713/176
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• 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

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for monitoring and asserting a trust level of a computing device are disclosed. In one illustrative embodiment, a computing device may include a memory having stored therein a persistent trust log, the persistent trust log comprising data relating to historic events influencing a trust level of the computing device, and a security controller configured to detect an event that influences the trust level of the computing device and to write data relating to the event to the persistent trust log.

Claims

1. A computing device having a trust level, the computing device comprising:

a memory having stored therein a persistent trust log, wherein the persistent trust log comprises data relating to historic events influencing the trust level of the computing device; and

a security controller configured to (i) detect events that influence the trust level of the computing device, (ii) write data relating to the events to the persistent trust log, (iii) receive a trust assessment request that includes a trust profile from an external service that resides on a server external to the computing device, (iv) analyze the data in the persistent trust log, at least in part, using one or more criteria included in the trust profile, (v) generate a trust assessment based on the data analysis, and (vi) transmit the trust assessment to the external service.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the memory is a dedicated memory device accessible only to the security controller.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the security controller is further configured to digitally sign the data relating to the event using a private key when writing the data relating to the event to the persistent trust log.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the security controller is configured to analyze data stored in the persistent trust log, at least in part, by evaluating a digital signature to determine whether the data stored in the persistent trust log was written to the persistent trust log by the security controller.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the security controller is configured to analyze data stored in the persistent trust log, at least in part, by retrieving information from a database on the server external that indicates how one or more of the historic events influence the trust level of the computing device.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the security controller is further configured to determine whether to respond to the trust assessment request by evaluating whether the trust assessment would reveal the historic events influencing the trust level of the computing device.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the security controller is further configured to determine whether to respond to the trust assessment request by evaluating an identity credential received with the trust assessment request.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the security controller is further configured to digitally sign the trust assessment with a timestamp prior to transmitting the trust assessment.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the security controller is further configured to digitally sign the trust assessment with an anonymous attestation credential prior to transmitting the trust assessment.

10. A method for asserting a trust level of a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving a trust assessment request including a trust profile from an external service residing on a server external to the computing device;

analyzing, at a security engine of the computing device, data stored in a persistent trust log on the computing device based, at least in part, on one or more criteria included in the trust profile, wherein the data stored in the persistent trust log relates to historic events influencing the trust level of the computing device;

generating, at the security engine, a trust assessment based on the data analysis; and

transmitting, by the security engine, the trust assessment to the external service.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein analyzing the data stored in the persistent trust log comprises evaluating a digital signature to determine whether the data stored in the persistent trust log was written to the persistent trust log by the security engine.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein analyzing the data stored in the persistent trust log comprises retrieving information from a database residing on the server external to the computing device that indicates how one or more of the historic events influence the trust level of the computing device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining whether to respond to the trust assessment request, prior to transmitting the trust assessment to the external service originating the trust assessment request, by evaluating whether the trust assessment would reveal the historic events influencing the trust level of the computing device.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining whether to respond to the trust assessment request, prior to transmitting the trust assessment to the external service originating the trust assessment request, by evaluating an identity credential received from the external service originating the trust assessment request.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the trust assessment using the security engine comprises digitally signing the trust assessment with a timestamp prior to transmitting the trust assessment to the external service originating the trust assessment request.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the trust assessment using the security engine comprises digitally signing the trust assessment with an anonymous attestation credential prior to transmitting the trust assessment to the external service originating the trust assessment request.

17. One or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media comprising a plurality of instructions stored thereon that, in response to being executed, result in a computing device:

receiving a trust assessment request including a trust profile from an external service residing on a server external to the computing device;

analyzing data stored in a persistent trust log on the computing device based on, at least in part, one or more criteria included in the trust profile, wherein the data stored in the persistent trust log relates to historic events influencing the trust level of the computing device;

generating a trust assessment based on the data analysis using a security engine of the computing device; and

transmitting the trust assessment to the external.

18. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions result in the computing device analyzing the data stored in the persistent trust log, at least in part, by evaluating a digital signature to determine whether the data stored in the persistent trust log was written to the persistent trust log by the security engine.

19. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions result in the computing device analyzing the data stored in the persistent trust log, at least in part, by retrieving information from a database residing on the server external to the computing device, wherein the information indicates how one or more of the historic events influence the trust level of the computing device.

20. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the computing device determining whether to respond to the trust assessment request, prior to transmitting the trust assessment to the external service originating the trust assessment request, by evaluating whether the trust assessment would reveal the historic events influencing the trust level of the computing device.

21. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the computing device determining whether to respond to the trust assessment request, prior to transmitting the trust assessment to the external service originating the trust assessment request, by evaluating an identity credential received from the external service originating the trust assessment request.

22. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the computing device digitally signing the trust assessment with a timestamp prior to transmitting the trust assessment to the external service originating the trust assessment request.

23. The one or more non-transitory, machine readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the plurality of instructions further result in the computing device digitally signing the trust assessment with an anonymous attestation credential prior to transmitting the trust assessment to the external service originating the trust assessment request.