	US 7,484,099 B2
	Method, apparatus, and product for asserting physical presence with a trusted platform module in a hypervisor environment
Steven A. Bade, Georgetown, Tex. (US); Ryan Charles Catherman, Raleigh, N.C. (US); James Patrick Hoff, Raleigh, N.C. (US); Nia Letise Kelley, Austin, Tex. (US); and Emily Jane Ratliff, Austin, Tex. (US)
Assigned to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y. (US)
Filed on Jul. 29, 2004, as Appl. No. 10/902,712.
Prior Publication US 2006/0026693 A1, Feb. 02, 2006
Int. Cl. H04L 9/00 (2006.01)

U.S. Cl. 713—176 [713/2]

11 Claims

1. A method for asserting physical presence in a trusted computing environment included within a data processing system, the data processing system coupled to a hardware management console, the method comprising:

providing a first trusted platform module in a first platform in the data processing system;

determining, by the first platform using the first trusted platform module whether the hardware management console is a trusted entity, wherein the step of determining whether the hardware management console is a trusted entity further comprises:

during booting of the data processing system: retrieving from the hardware management console, by the first platform that includes the first trusted platform module, the first digital signature; hashing, by the first trusted platform module, the first digital signature to generate a second hashed signature value; and storing, in the first trusted platform module, the second hashed signature value;

receiving, within the first trusted platform module, a request from the hardware management console for the first trusted platform module to execute a command;

determining whether the command requires that physical presence be verified by the first trusted platform module prior to the first trusted platform module executing the command;

responsive to determining during runtime of the data processing system that the command does require that physical presence be verified:

retrieving from the hardware management console, by the first platform, said the digital signature;

hashing, by the first trusted platform module, the first digital signature to produce a second hashed signature value;

comparing, by the first platform, the second hashed signature value to the first hashed signature value;

responsive to determining that the second hashed signature value is the same as the first hashed signature value, determining, by the first platform, that the hardware management console is a trusted entity; and

responsive to determining that the second hashed signature value is different from the first hashed signature value, determining, by the first platform, that the hardware management console is not a trusted entity;

determining, by the first platform using the first trusted platform module, whether the hardware management console has knowledge of a first secret key possessed by the first trusted platform module, wherein determining whether the hardware management console has knowledge of the first secret key further comprises:

requesting, by the hardware management console during booting of the data processing system, a key from the first trusted platform module;

receiving, by the hardware management console from the first trusted platform module during booting of the data processing system, the key;

associating the key, within the hardware management console during booting of the data processing system, with the first trusted platform module;

storing, in the hardware management console during booting of the data processing system, the key;

receiving, within the first trusted platform module, a request from the hardware management console for the first trusted platform module to execute a command;

determining whether the command requires that physical presence be verified by the first trusted platform module prior to the first trusted platform module executing the command;

responsive to determining that the command does require that physical presence be verified:

receiving from the hardware management console, by the first trusted platform module, the key that the hardware management console has associated with the first trusted platform module;

comparing, by the first platform using the first trusted platform module, the key received from the hardware management console with a key stored in the first trusted platform module;

responsive to determining, by the first platform using the first trusted platform module, that the key received from the hardware management console is the same as the key stored in the first trusted platform module, determining that the hardware management console has knowledge of the first secret key; and

responsive to determining, by the first platform using the first trusted platform module, that the key received from the hardware management console is different from the key stored in the first trusted platform module, determining that the hardware management console does not have knowledge of the first secret key;

responsive to determining that the hardware management console is a trusted entity and has knowledge of the first secret key, determining that physical presence has been successfully asserted to the first trusted platform module, wherein physical presence has been proven to the first trusted platform module;

storing, during a manufacturing of the hardware management console, a first digital signature in the hardware management console that identifies the hardware management console;

hashing the first digital signature, by the first trusted platform module, during booting of the hardware management console, to generate a first hashed signature value; and

storing, during the booting, the first hashed signature value in the first trusted platform module.