Trusted Computing and Trusted Execution

Catalog description

This course covers some of the foundational technologies for establishing trust in modern computing systems, including classic methods (e.g., boot chain-of-trust, secure boot, exception/privilege levels, and Trusted Platform Modules - TPMs) and more recent trusted computing architectures such as ARM TrustZone and Intel Secure Guard eXtensions (SGX), which are increasingly popular and widely adopted in both academic research and industry. The latter part of the course will touch upon more advanced and research-oriented aspects in the intersection of trusted computing and various realms of Computing Security & Privacy. A key component of the course will be an exploratory research project aiming to use trusted computing technologies to address a security/privacy problem. To be successful in this course students should be knowledgeable in applied cryptography and basic security technologies.