Performance of a service on a computing platform

• US 7,877,799 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2001
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valtrus Innovations Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 9 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Proudler, Graeme John
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis; Zachary A
• Application Number:
  US09/920,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20020023212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,464 Days
• Field of Search: 713164-167, 713/176, 713/187, 713/193, 713/194, 709223-226, 709/229, 726/21
• US Class Current: 726/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/445 by mutual authentication, e.g. between devices or programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0869 for achieving mutual authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for mutual authentication H04L9/3273
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

A method of performing a service for a requestor on a computing platform includes the requestor providing to the computing platform a specification of the service to be performed, which establishes specified levels of trust for at least some of the processes in the service. The computing platform executes the service according to the specification and logs performance of at least some of the processes for which a level of trust was specified. The computing platform then provides the requestor with a log of the performance of the processes performed according to the specified levels of trust. A computing platform for carrying out services includes a physically and logically protected computing environment for providing trustworthy data to appropriate users of the computing platform. The platform further includes one or more compartments arranged to operate in a sufficiently constrained manner such that processes executed in a compartment are performed reliably.

Claims

1. A method of performing a service for a requestor on a computing platform, comprising:

the requestor providing a specification of the service to be performed to the computing platform, wherein the specification of the service establishes specified levels of trust for at least one of the processes in the service;

the computing platform executing the service according to the specification and logging performance of at least one of the processes for which a level of trust was specified; and

the computing platform providing the requester with a log of the performance of the processes performed according to the specified levels of trust.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a level of trust is specified for at least two processes in the specification, and no performance logging takes place for at least one of the processes for which a level of trust is specified in the specification.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the computing platform contains a physically and logically protected computing environment.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said physically and logically protected computing environment contains a monitoring process for measuring integrity of the computing platform.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the monitoring process provides to the requestor an integrity metric of the computing platform at the time the service was performed.

6. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein a service management process allocates the execution of processes and logging of performance to discrete computing environments in or associated with the computing platform.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the service management process is located within the protected computing environment.

8. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein one or more of the discrete computing environments is a compartment containing a computing engine protected against influence from outside the compartment by operational or environmental constraints.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the computing engine is a Java virtual machine.

10. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein one or more compartments is located within the protected computing environment.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the computing engine is constrained not to operate on input data if it is not permitted to do so.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein input data is provided with a data type, and a process is provided with operation types, and operation is prevented if operation types and data types are not consistent.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein input data may have an owner, and the process may be required to inform the owner of use of the input data.

14. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein input data may have an owner, and if so, the process may be required to obtain consent from the owner to use the input data.

15. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein a process may be swapped between one discrete environment and another discrete environment.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein performance logging includes logging of input data to a process.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein performance logging includes logging of output data from a process.

18. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein performance logging includes logging of program instructions executed in performance of a process.

19. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein data logged is sampled according to a sampling process to provide the performance log.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the sampling process is performed according to a function to provide irregular sampling.

21. A method as claimed in claim 1, where a digest of data logged is obtained as part of the performance logging data.

22. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the performance logging data is encrypted before it is sent to the requestor.

23. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the specification establishes performance logging parameters for at least one of the processes in the service.

24. A computing platform, comprising:

a physically and logically protected computing environment, adapted to provide trustworthy data to appropriate users of the computing platform; and

one or more compartments, arranged to operate in a sufficiently constrained manner that processes executed in a compartment are performed reliably;

wherein specified processes may be executed for a user in the one or more compartments and the results of the specified processes returned to the user in trustworthy data from the protected computing environment; and

wherein the computing platform comprises a service management process adapted to receive a service description which includes levels of trust assigned to processes within the service, and to allocate at least one of the processes to the compartments.

25. A computing platform as claimed in claim 24, wherein one or more of said compartments are located outside the protected computing environment.

26. A computing platform as claimed in claim 24, wherein one or more of said compartments are located inside the protected computing environment.

27. A computing platform as claimed in claim 24, wherein each compartment contains a virtual computing engine.

28. A computing platform as claimed in claim 27, wherein the virtual computing engine is a Java virtual machine.

29. A computing platform as claimed in claim 24, wherein the protected computing environment contains a monitoring process adapted to measure the integrity of the computing platform.

30. A computing platform as claimed in claim 24, wherein service management process is located within the protected computing environment.