Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP

Serdar Cabuk

David Plaquin

Liqun Chen

Christopher Ian Dalton

Mark Ryan

A method and system is provided for operatively associating a signing key with a software component of a computing platform. The computing platform includes a trusted device and on start-up first loads a set of software components with each component being measured prior to loading and a corresponding integrity metric recorded in registers of the trusted device. The system stores a key-related item in secure persistent storage, the key-related item being either the signing key or authorization data for its use. The trusted device is arranged to enable a component of the software-component set to obtain the key-related item, this enabling only occurring when the current register values correspond to values only present prior to loading of components additional to those of the software-component set. Certificate evidence is provided indicating that the signing key is operatively associated with a component of the software-component set.

Associating a signing key with a software component of a computing platform

A method and apparatus are provided for tracking the state of a software component in use on a computing platform. Upon a change of a first type in the software component (such as a change to an integrity-critical part of the component), an appropriate integrity metric of the software component is reliably measured and recorded in cumulative combination with any previous integrity metric values recorded for changes of the first type to the software component. Upon a change of a second type in the software component (such as a change to a non integrity-critical part of the component), an appropriate integrity metric of the software component is reliably measured and recorded as a replacement for any previous integrity metric value recorded for changes of the second type to the software component. The two resultant values provide an indication of the integrity state of the software component.

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Serdar Cabuk