US 10,242,194 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for trusted execution of applications

AssigneeThe Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.

InventorsBogdan J. Sniezek, Jennifer E. Manuse

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Abstract

A system and methodology for providing trusted execution of applications is provided. The computing system includes system hardware including memory. A Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP) operating on said computing system enforces a Trusted Application Pattern Space (TAPS) within the memory throughout the execution lifecycle of each application hosted on the computing system. The Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP) assigns each application a private application instruction space and a private application data in accordance with specifications governing the Trusted Application Pattern Space (TAPS), such that the Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP) prevents the private application instruction space of each application from being read, inferred, and/or modified by any application, and prevents the private application data space of each application from being read, inferred, and/or modified by other than its assigned application. Upon an extension request by a first application to extend with one or more collaborating applications, the Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP) assigns an application collaboration data space within the memory in accordance with the specifications governing the Trusted Application Pattern Space (TAPS), such that both the first application and the one or more collaborating applications have access to the application collaboration data space. The Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP) prevents the application collaboration space from being read, inferred, and/or modified by other than the first application and the one or more collaborating applications.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A computing system for providing trusted execution of applications, the computing system comprising:

system hardware including memory;
a Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP) operating on said computing system to enforce a Trusted Application Pattern Space (TAPS) within the memory throughout the execution lifecycle of each application hosted on the computing system, the Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP) assigning each application a private application instruction space and a private application data space in accordance with specifications governing the Trusted Application Pattern Space (TAPS) such that the Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP) prevents the private application instruction space of each application from being read, inferred, and/or modified by any application, and prevents the private application data space of each application from being read, inferred, and/or modified by other than its assigned application, and
wherein upon an extension request by a first application to extend with one or more collaborating applications, the Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP) assigns an application collaboration data space in accordance with the specifications governing the Trusted Application Pattern Space (TAPS) such that both the first application and the one or more collaborating applications have access to the application collaboration data space, the Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP) preventing the application collaboration data space from being read, inferred, and/or modified by other than the first application and the one or more collaborating applications;
and
a Trusted Operational Environment Provisioning (TOEP) operating on said computing system, the Trusted Operational Environment Provisioning (TOEP) configured to:
take exclusive logical ownership of the computing system upon
validate that the computing system is in a proper operating environment and trusted configuration;
instantiate the Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP) within the validated operating environment and the trusted configuration;
monitor the operating environment and curtail trusted execution under improper operating conditions;
and
retire the Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP).

8 more elements

A non-transitory computer program product for providing trusted execution of applications running in system resources on a computing system, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer readable program code thereon, the computer readable program code comprising:

program code for enforcing a Trusted Application Pattern Space (TAPS) within the system resources throughout the execution lifecycle of all applications hosted on the computing system, wherein the program code for enforcing the Trusted Application Pattern Space (TAPS) includes, in accordance with specifications governing the Trusted Application Pattern Space (TAPS):
program code for assigning for each application a private application instruction space and a private application data space;
program code for preventing the private application instruction space of each application from being read, inferred, and/or modified by any application;
program code for preventing the private application data space of each application from being read, inferred, and/or modified by other than its assigned application;
program code for, upon an extension request by a first application to extend with one or more collaborating applications, assigning an application collaboration data space which both the first application and the one or more collaborating applications have access;
program code for preventing the application collaboration data space from being read, inferred, and/or modified by other than the first application and the one or more collaborating applications;
program code for taking exclusive logical ownership of the computing system upon application of power;
program code for validating that the computing system is in a proper operating environment and trusted configuration;
program code for instantiating the program code for enforcing the Trusted Application Pattern Space (TAPS) within the validated operating environment and the trusted configuration;
program code for monitoring the operating environment and curtailing trusted execution under improper operational conditions (conditions that cause mechanisms to not behave as expected by Trusted Application Execution Provisioning (TAEP));
and
program code for retiring the program code for enforcing a Trusted Application Pattern Space (TAPS).

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/975,524Filed 9 May 2018 · us provisional application
Priority: 9 May 2017
Published: US 2018/0330092 A115 Nov 2018
Granted: 26 Mar 2019
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

G06F 21/57
Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems: certifying or…
G06F 9/45558
Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors: hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
G06F 21/53
During program execution, e.g. stack integrity ; Preventing unwanted data erasure; Buffer overflow: by executing in a restricted environment, e.g.…
G06F 21/606
Protecting data: by securing the transmission between two devices or processes