Patent ID: 7313679

Claim:
A method, comprising: generating a first level trusted computing base (TCB) having a plurality of hardware components including a trusted platform module (TPM); forming an extended TCB by adding a second level TCB to the first level TCB, wherein the second level TCB is software-based; transferring properties associated with the first level TCB to the second level TCB; adding one or more levels of software-based TCB to the extended TCB; transferring the properties associated with the first level TCB to the one or more levels of software-based TCB via one or more levels of TCB interfaces; storing measured values depending on a level of abstraction of the one or more levels of software TCB; and using the one or more levels of software TCB independent of hardware-based or software-based implementation of a level of software TCB below the one or more levels of software TCB.