On Reliable Platform Configuration Change Reporting Mechanisms for Trusted Computing Enabled Platforms

: One of the most important use-cases of Trusted Computing is Remote Attestation. It allows platforms to get a trustworthy proof of the loaded software and current configuration of certain remote platforms, thereby enabling them to make decisions about the remote platforms' trust status. Common concepts like Internet Protocol security or Transport Layer Security make these decisions based on shared secrets or certificates issued by third parties. Unlike remote attestation, these concepts do not take the current configuration or currently loaded software of the platforms into account. Consequently, combining remote attestation and existing secure channel concepts can solve the long lasting problem of secure channels that have to rely on insecure channel endpoints. Although this gap can now be closed by Trusted Computing, one important problem remains unsolved: A platform's configuration changes every time new software is loaded. Consequently, a reliable and in-time method to p...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: JUCS
• Authors: Kurt Dietrich
• Keywords: Current Configuration, JUCS 2010, Secure Channels, Transport Layer Security