Auditing a device
View Patent ↗The auditing of a device that includes a physical memory is disclosed. One or more hardware parameters that correspond to a hardware configuration is received. Initialization information is also received. The physical memory is selectively read and at least one result is determined. The result is provided to a verifier.
1. A system, comprising:
a physical memory; and
a processor configured to:
receive one or more hardware parameters that correspond to a hardware configuration and receive initialization information, wherein the one or more hardware parameters include at least one of an amount and a speed of the physical memory;
perform a sequence of operations, wherein the sequence of operations includes at least writing a portion of the physical memory and selectively reading the physical memory;
determine at least one result based at least in part on the performed sequence of operations, wherein the at least one result includes a checksum; and
provide the at least one result to a verifier.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the initialization information comprises a seed value.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the initialization information comprises a step value.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein the initialization information is received from a proxy.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the initialization information is received from an external verifier.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the initialization information is a representation of a phenomenon.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the initialization information is received from an accelerometer included in the system.
8. The system of claim 6 wherein the processor is configured to receive the initialization information at least in part by measuring a phenomenon.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to determine a portion of the physical memory to be overwritten in accordance with a function.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to write a portion of the physical memory in accordance with a function.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to selectively read the physical memory based at least in part on a step counter.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the step counter is relatively prime to a measurement of the size of the physical memory.
13. The system of claim 11 further comprising a plurality of processors and wherein the step counter is relatively prime to a measurement of the size of the physical memory multiplied by the number of processors.
14. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to determine the result at least in part by using a function that is not the identity function and takes as input a portion of the physical memory.
15. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to determine the result at least in part by using an accumulator.
16. The system of claim 14 wherein the accumulator includes a nonlinear function.
17. The system of claim 14 wherein the accumulator uses an XOR and a rotate.
18. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor is configured to provide the result to the verifier at least in part by providing information to a proxy.
19. A method, comprising:
receiving one or more hardware parameters that correspond to a hardware configuration and receiving initialization information, wherein the one or more hardware parameters include at least one of an amount and a speed of a physical memory;
performing, using a hardware processor, a sequence of operations, wherein the sequence of operations includes at least writing a portion of the physical memory and selectively reading a physical memory;
determining at least one result based at least in part on the performed sequence of operations, wherein the at least one result includes a checksum; and
providing the at least one result to a verifier.
20. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:
receiving one or more hardware parameters that correspond to a hardware configuration and receiving initialization information, wherein the one or more hardware parameters include at least one of an amount and a speed of a physical memory;
performing a sequence of operations, wherein the sequence of operations includes at least writing a portion of the physical memory and selectively reading a physical memory and determining at least one result; and
determining at least one result based at least in part on the performed sequence of operations, wherein the at least one result includes a checksum; and
providing the at least one result to a verifier.