Patent ID: 8176336
Filing Date: 2012-05-08
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of attesting to a trust level of a computing platform in network environment comprising: establishing a trust level of a trusted computing base (TCB) in the computing platform, the trust level verifiable by an attestation function invokable by a user via a challenge, the challenge returning an authentication of the TCB to confirm the established trust level, the TCB having a privileged area in a system software stack operable for protected access; interposing an active trusted computing base (ATCB) in the privileged area, the privileged area being between a hardware platform and other software executing on the TCB, the ATCB actively intercepting attempts to access the privileged area; extending the trust level to the privileged area, the privileged area including the active trusted computing base, the ATCB coupled to the TCB for intercepting user requests to invoke the TCB, the ATCB responsive to the challenge; marking an attestation value as protected, the ATCB actively intercepting and stopping unexpected access attempts to the marked attestation value; and responding to the challenges via the privileged area using the extended trust level, the challenges employing an attestation protocol for returning the attestation value based on the attestation function, the attestation value indicative of the trust level; establishing the trust level comprising: