Deploying a system-specific secret in a highly resilient computer system

A hardware secret deployment system for providing a system-specific secret to a computing system comprising a plurality of computing components for confidential computing, said system comprising:

• one or more processors and a memory communicatively coupled to said one or more processors, wherein in said memory one or more program code portions are stored that when executed by said one or more processors, enable said one or more processors to:
• store permanently a component-specific import key as part of a computing component during manufacturing of said computing component;
• store said component-specific import key in a manufacturing-side storage system operated by a manufacture of the computing component, wherein the component-specific import key is protected by a manufacturing-side hardware security module;
• and
• upon a request for said system-specific secret for a computing system:
• identify, in said manufacturing-side storage system, said computing component comprised in said computing system;
• retrieve, from said manufacturing-side storage system, a record relating to said identified computing component from said manufacturing-side storage system, said record comprising a unique component-specific import key;
• identify, from the record, said system-specific secret protected by a manufacturing-side hardware security module;
• identify, from the record, a system-specific auxiliary key protected by the manufacturing-side hardware security module;
• encrypt, on said manufacturing-side, said system-specific auxiliary key with said retrieved component-specific import key, thereby creating an auxiliary key bundle, wherein said auxiliary key bundle comprises a bundle record comprising a reference to said computing component to which said component-specific import key relates and said system-specific auxiliary key encrypted by said component-specific import key;
• encrypt said system-specific secret with said system-specific auxiliary key;
• and
• store said auxiliary key bundle and a system record comprising said encrypted system-specific secret in a storage medium of said computing system;
• change said plurality of computing components of said computing system;
• and
• based on detecting said change, replace an existing auxiliary key bundle on a storage medium being part of said specific computing system by a new auxiliary key bundle relating to an updated version of said computing system.

A computer program product for providing a system-specific secret to a computing system comprising a plurality of computing components for confidential computing, said computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, said program instructions being executable by one or more computing systems or controllers to cause said one or more computing systems to:

• store said component-specific import key in a manufacturing-side storage system operated by a manufacture of the computing component, wherein the component-specific import key is protected by a manufacturing-side hardware security module;
• and
• upon a request for said system-specific secret for a computing system:
• identify, in said manufacturing-side storage system, said computing component comprised in said computing system;
• retrieve, from said manufacturing-side storage system, a record relating to said identified computing component from said manufacturing-side storage system, said record comprising a unique component-specific import key;
• identify, from the record, said system-specific secret protected by a manufacturing-side hardware security module;
• identify, from the record, a system-specific auxiliary key protected by the manufacturing-side hardware security module;
• encrypt, on said manufacturing-side, said system-specific auxiliary key with said retrieved component-specific import key, thereby creating an auxiliary key bundle, wherein said auxiliary key bundle comprises a bundle record comprising a reference to said computing component to which said component-specific import key relates and said system-specific auxiliary key encrypted by said component-specific import key;
• encrypt said system-specific secret with said system-specific auxiliary key;
• and
• store said auxiliary key bundle and a system record comprising said encrypted system-specific secret in a storage medium of said computing system;
• change said plurality of computing components of said computing system;
• and
• based on detecting said change, replace an existing auxiliary key bundle on a storage medium being part of said specific computing system by a new auxiliary key bundle relating to an updated version of said computing system.