Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.p.

Hewlett-packard Company

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Patent Department

Thomas M Laffey

Ludovic Emmanuel Paul Noel Jacquin

Nigel John Edwards

Shiva R Dasari

Theofrastos Koulouris

Melvin K Benedict

Michael R Krause

Charles F Clark

Gareth Richards

Dennis Carr

Kevin Edward Boyum

Yashavantha Nagaraju Naguvanahalli

Adrian Shaw

Darrell R Haskell

Christopher Anthony Grant Hillier

Dick T Fong

Scott Arthur Jones

Kenneth J Geer

Luis E Luciani

Dileep Bangalore Sridhara

Luis Luciani

Christopher Hillier

Sharath Srikanth Chellappa

Ted J Lopez

Sunil James

In some examples, a virtual manager in an electronic device generates a seed based on a first key stored in a physical security processor of the electronic device. The virtual manager initializes a virtual security processor by providing the seed to the virtual security processor. The electronic device creates, in the virtual security processor, a virtual security processor key based on the seed, and a virtual security processor certificate based on the virtual security processor key. The virtual security processor key is bound to the physical security processor based on the virtual security processor key being generated from the first key stored in the physical security processor. An identity of a virtual entity in the electronic device is included in the virtual security processor certificate.

Binding a virtual security processor to a physical security processor

Examples disclosed herein relate to systems and methods for assigning an identifier to a node-based system. For example, systems and methods may: discover the plurality of nodes; determine a node of the plurality of nodes to be a controller node: authenticate, at a management component of the controller node, a respective identifier associated with each node of the plurality of nodes; and based on the authentication, assign a complex identifier to a complex comprising the plurality of nodes, wherein the complex identifier comprises the identifier associated with the controller node.

Systems and methods for assigning a cryptographic identity to node-based systems

A method for securing a plurality of compute nodes includes authenticating a hardware architecture of each of a plurality of components of the compute nodes. The method also includes authenticating a firmware of each of the plurality of components. Further, the method includes generating an authentication database comprising a plurality of authentication descriptions that are based on the authenticated hardware architecture and the authenticated firmware. Additionally, a policy for securing a specified subset of the plurality of compute nodes is implemented by using the authentication database.

Securing node groups

In some examples, a system receives information from electronic devices comprising network devices and computing devices in a computing environment that are subject to attestations of interfaces of the network devices and the computing devices. For each interface of a given computing device being attested, the system verifies that the interface of the given computing device is connected to an interface of a corresponding network device that is being attested. For each interface of a given network device being attested, the system verifies that the interface of the given network device is connected to an interface of a corresponding computing device that is being attested or an interface of another network device that is being attested. The system detects a presence of an unauthorized electronic device in the computing environment in response to determining that an interface of a computing device being attested or an interface of a network device being attested is not connected to a corresponding interface of an electronic device being attested.

Unauthorized device detection in a computing environment

A process includes communicating by a first device, with a second device. The communicating includes the first device receiving data from the second device that represents a certificate. The certificate binds a hierarchy of logical identifiers to a cryptographic key. The hierarchy of identifiers includes a first logical identifier that corresponds to a group membership. The process includes authenticating, by the first device, the second device based on the certificate. The process includes allowing, by the first device, a secure connection to be set up between the first device and the second device based on whether the first logical identifier represents that the second device is a member of a first group of devices of which the first device is a member.

Authorizing secure connections responsive to certificates bound to logical identifiers

Methods and systems for implementing DevID enrollment for hardware redundant Trust Platform Modules (TPMs), are described. A system can include hardware redundancy for management modules, and for TPMs that correspond to each management module. Accordingly, a product can have a dual-TPM configuration, where both modules are associated with the same product. Further, a process that particularly considers the presence of dual-TPMs for creating, issuing, and enrolling DevID certificates is described. The process issues and maintains DevID certificates for each TPM by synchronizing dual sessions that correspond to each TPM. Also, the process accounts for duplicate identification data, for example allowing the certificate authority (CA) to sign certificates for dual-TPMs linked to the same chassis number. The process can include performing validation checks, rendezvous points, and locks to ensure that DevID certificates are successfully issued for each of the dual-TPMs, respectively.

Methods and systems for enrolling Device Identifiers (DevIDs) on redundant hardware

A computer platform includes a security processor; at least one hardware processor; and a memory. The security processor stores data representing a private platform key. The private platform key is part of an asymmetric pair of keys, and the asymmetric pair of keys includes a public platform key. The memory stores a firmware image. The firmware image includes data representing a root certificate of a public key infrastructure that signs a second certificate that is associated with the computer platform. The second certificate includes the public platform key and binding information binding the second certificate to the computer platform. The firmware image includes instructions that, when executed by the hardware processor(s), cause the hardware processor(s) to access data representing the second certificate and determine whether the second certificate is valid based on the root certificate and the binding information. The instructions, when executed by the hardware processor(s), further cause the hardware processor(s) to, responsive to determining that the second certificate is valid, use the public platform key to secure communication with the security processor.

Securing communications with security processors using platform keys

A process includes a first tenant of a plurality of tenants communicating with a security processor of a computer platform, via a first physical request interface of the security processor, to acquire ownership of a first command execution engine of the security processor associated with the first physical request interface. The process includes a second tenant of the plurality of tenants communicating with the security processor, via a second physical request interface of the security processor, to acquire ownership of a second command execution engine of the security processor associated with the second physical request interface. The process includes the security processor receiving a first request from the first tenant in the first physical interface, and the second processor receiving a second request from the second tenant in the second physical request interface. The process includes, pursuant to block, the first command execution engine processing the first request and the second command execution engine processing the second request to perform corresponding trusted computing operations.

Multiple physical request interfaces for security processors

Examples disclosed herein relate to using an integrity manifest certificate to verify the state of a platform. A device identity of a device that has the device identity provisioned and stored in a security co-processor to retrieve an integrity proof from the security co-processor. The device includes at least one processing element, at least one memory device, and a bus including at least one bus device, and wherein the device identity is associated with a device identity certificate signed by a first authority. The integrity proof includes a representation of each of a plurality of hardware components including the at least one processing element, the at least one memory device, the at least one bus device, and a system board and a representation of plurality of firmware components included in the device. The integrity proof is provided to a certification station. The certification station determines that the integrity proof is an expected value based on an expected provisioning state of the device and the device identity. The certification station signs, using a second authority, an integrity manifest certificate, based on the integrity proof and the device identity. The integrity manifest certificate is stored.

Integrity manifest certificate

A method and apparatus for use in a trusted network environment together or separately employ an implicit attestation that a requesting computing resource is in a trusted state before access to a network resource is granted. The method includes: verifying that a requesting computing resource is in a trusted state; accessing the private key using the released key authorization value; and creating a digital signature for the requesting device from the accessed private key. The apparatus may implement the method.

Implicit attestation for network access

Methods and systems for enrolling device identifiers (DEVIDs) on redundant hardware

A technique includes receiving a request from a first electronic device to connect to a network and receiving a first part from the first electronic device. The technique includes regulating onboarding of the first electronic device. Regulating the onboarding includes authenticating the first electronic device. Authenticating the first electronic device includes communicating with a plurality of electronic devices that are connected to the network to receive a set of second secret parts; constructing a first secret from the first secret part and the set of second secret parts; and comparing the first secret to a second secret. Regulating the onboarding of the first electronic device includes allowing the first electronic device to connect to the network based on a result of the comparison.

Secret sharing-based onboarding authentication

In some examples, in response to a reset of an electronic device, a method disables hardware write locking of a first region in a non-volatile memory, and executes a first boot code portion from the first region to begin a boot procedure. The executed first boot code portion checks whether an update code for the first boot code portion exists. In response to determining that no update code for the first boot code portion exists, the executed first boot code portion causes hardware write locking of the first region. After causing the hardware write locking of the first region, the boot procedure continues, the boot procedure comprising verifying an integrity of a second boot code portion.

Growing community of inventors

Roseville, CA, United States of America

Thomas M Laffey