Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
12-15-2003
Technical Report Number
TR2003-476
Abstract
Over the last few years, our group has been working on applications of secure coprocessors---but has been frustrated by the limited computational environment and high expense of such devices. Over the last few years, the TCPA (now TCG) has produced a specification for a trusted platform module (TPM)---a small hardware addition intended to improve the overall security of a larger machine (and tied up with a still-murky vision of Windows-based trusted computing). Some commodity desktops now come up with these TPMs. Consequently, we began an experiment to see if (in the absence of a Non-Disclosure Agreement) we could use this hardware to transform a desktop Linux machine into a virtual secure coprocessor: more powerful but less secure than higher-end devices. This experiment has several purposes: to provide a new platform for secure coprocessor applications, to see how well the TCPA/TCG approach works, and (by working in open source) to provide a platform for the broader community to experiment with alternative architectures in the contentious area of trusted computing. This paper reports what we have learned so far: the approach is feasible, but effective deployment requires a more thorough look at OS security.
Dartmouth Digital Commons Citation
Marchesini, John; Smith, Sean; Wild, Omen; and MacDonald, Rich, "Experimenting with TCPA/TCG Hardware, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bear" (2003). Computer Science Technical Report TR2003-476. https://digitalcommons.dartmouth.edu/cs_tr/223
Comments
This report, TR2003-476, supersedes TR2003-471 of August 2003. Furthermore, the December 15, 2003 version of TR2003476 fixes typos found in the December 4, 2003 version.