B649 Trusted Computing (Spring 2007)

[ General Information | Course Outline | Lectures | Handouts]

General Information

Course Description: A Trusted Computing Platform (TCP) is a device that uses some amount of hardware enhancement to provide increased trustworthiness. These enhancements often include separate processor and memory that enable the execution of code and storage of data in a protected space. TCPs differ from secure platforms in that TCPs can attest that they are operating as expected, while current secure platforms cannot. The ability to attest operating behavior is of fundamental importance when trying to determine whether Alice can trust the computation that is occurring on Bob’s machine. This question becomes important when considering multi-party computation scenarios that are common to distributed applications. For example, take an online credit card transaction that requires computation on both the client and server. While the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) protocol may be used to authenticate the server and establish a secure communications channel, it cannot insure that the server application will process and manage the data in the expected manner. In the first half of this course, we will survey various instantiations of TCPs and analyze their use in different multi-party computation scenarios. We will consider the following topics:

What is a Trusted Computing Platform?
What is trust?
Behavioral vs. Social
Why are Trusted Computing Platforms Trusted
Security and the need to evolve current infrastructures
Limitations of Existing Security Technology

Firewalls
Security software, eg. virus-checking software
Security Protocols, e.g. Secure Sockets Layer

Trusted Computing Platforms

Secure Coprocessors
Cryptographic Accelerators
Personal Tokens
Dongles
Trusted Platform Module
Hardened CPUs

The second half of the course will be devoted to course projects. IBM has loaned several cryptographic coprocessor adapters, IBM 4764, which we will use to develop trusted applications. Possible projects include:

Hardened Web Server
Credit Card Transaction Security
Non-repudiation of Client Authentication
Non-repudiation of Client Activity
Non-repudication of Server Activity
Digital Rights Management
Trusted Electronic Auctions

Instructor: Raquel L. Hill Ph.D.
Office: 228 Lindley Hall
Phone: 812 856-5807
Office hours: TBD
Class Time: MW 2:30-3:45
Textbook: Trusted Computing Platforms: Design and Applications, by Sean Smith; Recommended: Trusted Computing Platforms: TCPA in context, edited by Siani Pearson
Grading: 30% Homework assignments, 20% Midterm exam, 50% Final Project