Building Verifiable Trusted Path on Commodity x86 Computers

Abstract

A trusted path is a protected channel that assures the secrecy and authenticity of data transfers between a user's input/output (I/O) device and a program trusted by that user. We argue that, despite its incontestable necessity, current commodity systems do not support trusted path with any significant assurance. This paper presents a hyper visor-based design that enables a trusted path to bypass an untrusted operating-system, applications, and I/O devices, with a minimal Trusted Computing Base (TCB). We also suggest concrete I/O architectural changes that will simplify future trusted-path system design. Our system enables users to verify the states and configurations of one or more trusted-paths using a simple, secret less, hand-held device. We implement a simple user-oriented trusted path as a case study.