System and method for providing distributed compute platform on untrusted hardware

A system for providing a secure computing platform, the system comprising:

• an untrusted computing node having memory;
• a hypervisor running on the untrusted computing node and configured to create an enclave in the memory of the untrusted computing node upon receiving a request generated by a client device to perform a computing function on the untrusted computing node;
• launch a virtual machine in the memory enclave;
• and
• a guest operating system in the virtual machine configured to:
• perform a chain of trust to verify that the virtual machine is running on a secure computing node and a trusted hypervisor, wherein the chain of trust includes:
• verifying, by a BIOS of the untrusted computing node, hardware of the untrusted computing node and then starting a boot loader;
• verifying, by the boot loader, the BIOS and then starting a kernel of the operating system;
• verifying, by the kernel, the boot loader, and then starting the hypervisor;
• verifying the kernel by the hypervisor running on the kernel, and then creating a virtual machine;
• and
• verifying, security of the untrusted computing node by a guest operating system in the virtual machine;
• and
• perform the computing function on the untrusted computing node upon the verifying of the security of the untrusted computing node.

A system for providing a secure computing platform on an untrusted computing node, the system comprising:

• a broker configured to:
• receive a request generated by a client device to perform a computing function on a remote hardware node,
• select the untrusted computing node from a plurality of remote hardware nodes to performing the computing function, and
• transmit the request to the selected untrusted computing node to perform the computing function on the untrusted computing node,
• wherein in response to the received request, the untrusted computing node is configured to create an enclave in memory of the untrusted computing node;
• launch a virtual machine in the memory enclave;
• and
• wherein a guest operating system in the virtual machine is configured to:
• perform a chain of trust to verify that the virtual machine is running on a secure computing node and a trusted hypervisor, wherein the chain of trust includes:
• verifying, by a BIOS of the untrusted computing node, the hardware of the untrusted computing node and then starting a boot loader;
• verifying, by the boot loader, the BIOS and then starting a kernel of the operating system;
• verifying, by the kernel, the boot loader, and then starting the hypervisor;
• verifying the kernel by the hypervisor running on the kernel, and then creating a virtual machine;
• and
• verifying, security of the untrusted computing node by a guest operating system in the virtual machine;
• and
• perform the computing function on the untrusted computing node upon the guest operating system verifying the security of the untrusted computing node.