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3.1 Hardware Security Module (HSM)

NIST platform security: roots of trust, firmware and secure enclaves IR 8320
All changes in this version
first version loaded 3 Platform Integrity Verification part of 3

Title

Hardware Security Module (HSM)

Control

A hardware security module (HSM) is “a physical computing device that safeguards and manages cryptographic keys and provides cryptographic processing” [5] . Cryptographic operations such as encryption, decryption, and signature generation/verification are typically hosted on the HSM device, and many implementations provide hardware-accelerated mechanisms for cryptographic operations.

A trusted platform module (TPM) is a special type of HSM that can generate cryptographic keys and protect small amounts of sensitive information, such as passwords, cryptographic keys, and cryptographic hash measurements. [3] The TPM is a standalone device that can be integrated with server platforms, client devices, and other products. One of the main use cases of a TPM is to store digest measurements of platform firmware and configuration during the boot process. Each firmware module is measured by generating a digest, which is then extended to a TPM platform configuration register (PCR). Multiple firmware modules can be extended to the same PCR, and platform-specific specifications like the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) PC Client Platform Firmware Profile provide guidelines for which firmware measurements are encompassed by each PCR [6] .

TPMs also host functionality to generate binding and signing keys that are unique per TPM and stored within the TPM non-volatile random-access memory (NVRAM). The private portion of this key pair is decrypted inside the TPM, making it only accessible by the TPM hardware or firmware. This can create a unique relationship between the keys generated within a TPM and a platform system, restricting private key operations to the platform firmware that has ownership and access to the specified TPM. Binding keys are used for encryption/decryption of data, while signing keys are used to generate/verify cryptographic signatures. The TPM provides a random number generator (RNG) as a protected capability with no access control. This RNG is used in critical cryptographic functionality as an entropy source for nonces, key generation, and randomness in signatures [6] .

There are two versions of TPMs: 1.2 and 2.0. The 2.0 version supports additional security features and algorithms [6] . TPMs also meet the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140 validation criteria and support NIST-approved cryptographic algorithms [7] .