Method for booting and dumping a confidential image on a trusted computer system

1. A method for booting a confidential image on a trusted computer system, the method comprising:

loading, by the trusted computer system, an encrypted client image key onto a protected area on the trusted computer system, wherein the encrypted client image key is generated by a client computer by encrypting a client image key on the client computer with a public host key on the client computer;

loading, by the trusted computer system, an encrypted boot image onto a secure logical partition on the trusted computer system, wherein the encrypted boot image is generated by the client computer by encrypting a boot image on the client computer with the client image key on the client computer;

decrypting, by the trusted computer system, the encrypted client image key to obtain a client image key in the protected area on the trusted computer system, with a private host key in the protected area on the trusted computer system;

decrypting, by the trusted computer system, the encrypted boot image to obtain a boot image and a client data key in the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system, with the client image key in the protected area on the trusted computer system;

starting, by the trusted computer system, the boot image in the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system; and

mounting, by the boot image in the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system, encrypted client data onto the secure logical partition, wherein the encrypted client data is generated by the client computer by encrypting client data on the client computer with a client data key on the client computer;

wherein the client data key in the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system is used by the boot image in the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system to decrypt data read from the encrypted client data mounted onto the secure logical partition and to encrypt data written to the encrypted client data mounted onto the secure logical partition.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

generating, by the client computer, the client image key on the client computer;

generating, by the client computer, the client data key on the client computer;

generating, by the client computer, the encrypted client data by encrypting the client data, with the client data key on the client computer;

writing, by the client computer, the client data key on the client computer into the boot image on the client computer;

generating, by the client computer, the encrypted boot image by encrypting the boot image on the client computer, with the client image key on the client computer;

generating, by the client computer, the encrypted client image key, with the public host key on the client computer;

generating, by the client computer, the encrypted boot image including the encrypted boot image and the encrypted client image key; and

deploying, by the client computer, the encrypted boot image and the encrypted client data to the trusted computer system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the public host key on the client computer is a public key of an asymmetric key pair and corresponds to the private host key in the protected area on the trusted computer system.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the protected area is in secure firmware of the trusted computer system, inaccessible by any program outside of the secure firmware, inaccessible by an operating system running and inaccessible by a user.

5. A method for dumping a confidential image on a trusted computer system, the method comprising:

loading, by the trusted computer system, an encrypted client dumper image key onto a protected area on the trusted computer system, wherein the encrypted client dumper image key is generated by a client computer with a public host key on the client computer;

decrypting, by the trusted computer system, the encrypted client dumper image key to generate a client dumper image key in the protected area on the trusted computer system, with a private host key stored in the protected area on the trusted computer system;

comparing, by the trusted computer system, the client dumper image key with a client image key stored in the protected area on the trusted computer system;

determining, by the trusted computer system, whether the client dumper image key matches the client image key;

loading, by the trusted computer system, an encrypted dumper including a client dump key onto a secure logical partition on the trusted computer system, in response to determining that the client dumper image key matches the client image key, wherein the encrypted dumper is generated by the client computer with a client dumper image key on the client computer;

decrypting, by the trusted computer system, with the client dumper image key in the protected area on the trusted computer system, the encrypted dumper to generate a dumper including the client dump key, wherein the dumper is stored in an area of the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system, the area is reserved for the dumper;

starting, by the trusted computer system, the dumper stored in the area of the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system;

generating, by the dumper stored in the area of the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system, an encrypted dump on an client dump device, by encrypting, with the client dump key, an image to be dumped in the secure logical partition; and

writing, by the dumper stored in the area of the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system, the encrypted dump on the client dump device;

wherein the protected area is in secure firmware of the trusted computer system, inaccessible by any program outside of the secure firmware, inaccessible by an operating system running, and inaccessible by a user.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the client image key in the protected area is used to encrypt a boot image of a current operating system stored in the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the public host key on the client computer is a public key of an asymmetric key pair and corresponds to the private host key stored in the protected area on the trusted computer system.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the client dump key is included in the dumper or the client dumper image key.

9. A method for generating and deploying a secure boot image and encrypted client data to a trusted computer system, the method comprising:

generating, by a client computer, a client image key;

generating, by the client computer, a client data key;

generating, by the client computer, the encrypted client data by encrypting client data, with the client data key, wherein the encrypted client image key is loaded by the trusted computer system onto a protected area on the trusted computer system;

writing, by the client computer, the client data key into a boot image;

generating, by the client computer, an encrypted boot image by encrypting the boot image, with the client image key;

generating, by the client computer, an encrypted client image key, with a public host key on the client computer, wherein the public host key is a public key of an asymmetric key pair and corresponds to a private host key stored in the protected area on the trusted computer system;

generating, by the client computer, a encrypted boot image including the encrypted boot image and the encrypted client image key; and

deploying, by the client computer, the encrypted boot image and the encrypted client data to the trusted computer system, wherein the encrypted boot image is loaded by the trusted computer system onto a secure logical partition on the trusted computer system.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

loading, by the trusted computer system, the encrypted client image key onto the protected area on the trusted computer system;

loading, by the trusted computer system, the encrypted boot image onto the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system;

decrypting, by the trusted computer system, the encrypted client image key to obtain the client image key in the protected area on the trusted computer system, with a private host key stored in the protected area on the trusted computer system;

decrypting, by the trusted computer system, the encrypted boot image to obtain the boot image and the client data key in the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system, with the client image key in the protected area on the trusted computer system; and

starting, by the trusted computer system, the boot image in the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system;

mounting, by the boot image in the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system, encrypted client data onto the secure logical partition, wherein the encrypted client data is generated by the client computer by encrypting client data on the client computer with a client data key on the client computer.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the protected area is in secure firmware of the trusted computer system, inaccessible by any program outside of the secure firmware, inaccessible by an operating system running and inaccessible by a user.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the client data key in the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system is used by the boot image by the boot image in the secure logical partition on the trusted computer system to decrypt data read from the encrypted client data mounted onto the secure logical partition and encrypt data written to the encrypted client data mounted onto the secure logical partition.