Trusted Computing - Special Aspects and Challenges

The advent of e-commerce, e-government, and the rapid expansion of world-wide connectivity demands end-user systems that adhere to well-defined security policies. In this context Trusted Computing (TC) aims at providing a framework and effective mechanisms that allow computing platforms and processes in a distributed IT system to gain assurance about each other's integrity/trustworthiness. An industrial attempt towards realization of TC is the initiative of the Trusted Computing Group (TCG), an alliance of a large number of IT enterprises. The TCG has published a set of specifications for extending conventional computer architectures with a variety of security-related features and cryptographic mechanisms. The TCG approach has not only been subject of research but also public debates and concerns. Currently, several prominent academic and industrial research projects are investigating trustworthy IT systems based on TC, virtualization technology, and secure operating system design. We highlight special aspects of Trusted Computing and present some current research and challenges. We believe that TC technology is indeed capable of enhancing the security of computer systems, and is another helpful means towards establishing trusted infrastructures. However, we also believe that it is not a universal remedy for all of the security problems we are currently facing in information societies.

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