IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,599,650
Granted Patent B2
US 11,599,650 · App. 17/217,064 · Granted Mar 7, 2023

Secure computing system

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,599,650
App. No.
17/217,064
Filed
Mar 30, 2021
Granted
Mar 7, 2023
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2495
USPC
726/26
Abstract

A computer system with multiple security levels, the system comprising a high-power processing device ( 130 ), a low-power processing device ( 110 ), and an interface unit ( 120 ) comprising functions for moving classified information between the high-power device ( 130 ) and the low-power device ( 110 ) according to formal rules for confidentiality and/or integrity. Additional security aspects, e.g. availability, may readily be accommodated. A method for implementing multiple levels of security along a number of independent security axes on the system is also disclosed.

Claims (38)

1. A system comprising:

a virtual machine engine for generating one or more virtual machines, each virtual machine being generated having a virtual machine integrity level, the virtual machine integrity level being selected from at least a higher integrity level and a lower integrity level, a first virtual machine with the higher integrity level being configured to require a stronger integrity process than a second virtual machine with the lower integrity level;

a first program;

a second program;

a first datastore or data set associated with a first data integrity level;

a second datastore or data set associated with a second data integrity level;

at least one hardware processor configured to:

receive a request to use the first program;

execute a particular virtual machine with a particular virtual machine integrity level;

use a particular integrity process before or while operating the first program by the particular virtual machine, the particular integrity process being associated with the particular virtual machine integrity level; and

allow the first program to write to the first datastore or data set, only if the first data integrity level is equal to or lower than the particular virtual machine integrity level.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the stronger integrity process includes more secure authentication.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first virtual machine with the higher integrity level requires authentication using a certificate, and the second virtual machine with the lower integrity level requires a password.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first virtual machine with the higher integrity level requires authentication, and the second virtual machine with the lower integrity level does not require authentication.

5. The system of claim 2 , wherein the first virtual machine with the higher integrity level requires using a hash, and the second virtual machine with the lower integrity level does not require using a hash.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising protected memory storing security keys, the protected memory having a protected memory integrity level; and wherein the first virtual machine with the higher integrity level requires a second one of the security keys stored in the protected memory.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the protected memory is disposed on a first computing device, and the first program is controlled by a second computing device.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the protected memory is read-only memory.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one hardware processor is further configured to:

allow the first program to receive data from the second program, only if a second virtual machine integrity level associated with the second program is equal to or higher than the particular virtual machine integrity level; and

allow the first program to provide data to the second program, only if the second virtual machine integrity level associated with the second program is equal to or lower than the particular virtual machine integrity level.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the particular virtual machine integrity level is based on the first program.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a request to use a first program;

generating and executing a particular virtual machine with a particular virtual machine integrity level, the particular virtual machine integrity level being selected from at least a higher integrity level and a lower integrity level, a first virtual machine with the higher integrity level requiring a stronger integrity process than a second virtual machine with the lower integrity level;

using a particular integrity process before or while operating the first program by the particular virtual machine, the particular integrity process being associated with the particular virtual machine integrity level; and

allowing the first program to write to the first datastore or data set, only if the first data integrity level is equal to or lower than the particular virtual machine integrity level.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the stronger integrity process includes more secure authentication.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first virtual machine with the higher integrity level requires authentication using a certificate, and the second virtual machine with the lower integrity level requires a password.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first virtual machine with the higher integrity level requires authentication, and the second virtual machine with the lower integrity level does not require authentication.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first virtual machine with the higher integrity level requires using a hash, and the second virtual machine with the lower integrity level does not require using a hash.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising storing security keys in protected memory, the protected memory having a protected memory integrity level; and wherein the first virtual machine with the higher integrity level requires a second one of the security keys stored in the protected memory.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the protected memory is disposed on a first computing device, and the first program is controlled by a second computing device.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the protected memory is read-only memory.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

allowing the first program to receive data from a second program, the second program being associated with a second virtual machine having a second virtual machine integrity level, only if the second virtual machine integrity level associated with the second program is equal to or higher than the particular virtual machine integrity level; and

allowing the first program to provide data to the second program, only if the second virtual machine integrity level associated with the second program is equal to or lower than the particular virtual machine integrity level.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the particular virtual machine integrity level is based on the first program.