Patent ID: 8607034

Claim:
An apparatus providing for a secure execution environment, comprising: a microprocessor, mounted to a motherboard, configured to execute non-secure application programs and a secure application program wherein said secure application program is executed in a secure execution mode, said microprocessor comprising: secure watchdog logic, configured to monitor environmental attributes corresponding to said microprocessor and to said secure application program, and configured to transfer program control to one of a plurality of event handlers within said secure application program, wherein said one of said plurality of event handlers directs secure execution mode logic within said microprocessors to erase secure volatile memory within said microprocessor, to verify hashes in BIOS, and to transition to a degraded mode wherein BIOS instructions are allowed to execute in order to allow for user input and the display of messages, but the execution of more complicated software is not allowed; a system memory, coupled to said microprocessor via a system bus, said system memory having non-secure application programs stored therein; and a secure non-volatile memory, mounted to said motherboard and coupled to said microprocessor via a private bus, configured to store said secure application program, wherein said secure application program is encrypted by a cryptography unit disposed within said microprocessor according to a cryptographic algorithm using a processor unique cryptographic key when stored in said secure non-volatile memory, and wherein transactions over said private bus between said microprocessor and said secure non-volatile memory are isolated from said system bus and corresponding system bus resources within said microprocessor, and wherein said cryptographic key can only be read by said cryptography unit.