Open-TEE is no longer virtual: Towards software-only trusted execution environments using white-box cryptography

Kemal Bicakci; Ihsan Kagan Ak; Betul Askin Ozdemir; Mesut Gozutok

doi:10.1109/TPS-ISA48467.2019.00029

Open-TEE is no longer virtual: Towards software-only trusted execution environments using white-box cryptography

Kemal Bicakci, Ihsan Kagan Ak, Betul Askin Ozdemir, Mesut Gozutok

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

Abstract

Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) provide hardware support to isolate the execution of sensitive operations on mobile phones for improved security. However, they are not always available to use for application developers. To provide a consistent user experience to those who have and do not have a TEE-enabled device, we could get help from Open-TEE, an open-source GlobalPlatform (GP)-compliant software TEE emulator. However, Open-TEE does not offer any of the security properties hardware TEEs have. In this paper, we propose WhiteBox-TEE which integrates white-box cryptography with Open-TEE to provide better security while still remaining complaint with GP TEE specifications. We discuss the architecture, provisioning mechanism, implementation highlights, security properties and performance issues of WhiteBox-TEE and propose possible revisions to TEE specifications to have better use of white-box cryptography in software-only TEEs.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Proceedings - 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages	177-183
Number of pages	7
ISBN (Electronic)	9781728167411
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS-ISA48467.2019.00029
Publication status	Published - Dec 2019
Externally published	Yes
Event	1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019 - Los Angeles, United States Duration: 12 Dec 2019 → 14 Dec 2019

Publication series

Name	Proceedings - 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019

Conference

Conference	1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019
Country/Territory	United States
City	Los Angeles
Period	12/12/19 → 14/12/19

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 IEEE.

Funding

This work is supported by TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey), Grant no: 5170076.

Funders	Funder number
TUBITAK
Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştirma Kurumu	5170076

Keywords

Open-TEE
Secure storage
SPACE algorithm
Trusted execution environment
White-box cryptography

Access to Document

10.1109/TPS-ISA48467.2019.00029

Cite this

Bicakci, K., Ak, I. K., Ozdemir, B. A., & Gozutok, M. (2019). Open-TEE is no longer virtual: Towards software-only trusted execution environments using white-box cryptography. In Proceedings - 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019 (pp. 177-183). Article 9014373 (Proceedings - 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS-ISA48467.2019.00029

Bicakci, Kemal ; Ak, Ihsan Kagan ; Ozdemir, Betul Askin et al. / Open-TEE is no longer virtual : Towards software-only trusted execution environments using white-box cryptography. Proceedings - 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2019. pp. 177-183 (Proceedings - 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019).

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title = "Open-TEE is no longer virtual: Towards software-only trusted execution environments using white-box cryptography",

abstract = "Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) provide hardware support to isolate the execution of sensitive operations on mobile phones for improved security. However, they are not always available to use for application developers. To provide a consistent user experience to those who have and do not have a TEE-enabled device, we could get help from Open-TEE, an open-source GlobalPlatform (GP)-compliant software TEE emulator. However, Open-TEE does not offer any of the security properties hardware TEEs have. In this paper, we propose WhiteBox-TEE which integrates white-box cryptography with Open-TEE to provide better security while still remaining complaint with GP TEE specifications. We discuss the architecture, provisioning mechanism, implementation highlights, security properties and performance issues of WhiteBox-TEE and propose possible revisions to TEE specifications to have better use of white-box cryptography in software-only TEEs.",

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author = "Kemal Bicakci and Ak, {Ihsan Kagan} and Ozdemir, {Betul Askin} and Mesut Gozutok",

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year = "2019",

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Bicakci, K, Ak, IK, Ozdemir, BA & Gozutok, M 2019, Open-TEE is no longer virtual: Towards software-only trusted execution environments using white-box cryptography. in Proceedings - 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019., 9014373, Proceedings - 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., pp. 177-183, 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019, Los Angeles, United States, 12/12/19. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS-ISA48467.2019.00029

Open-TEE is no longer virtual: Towards software-only trusted execution environments using white-box cryptography. / Bicakci, Kemal; Ak, Ihsan Kagan; Ozdemir, Betul Askin et al.
Proceedings - 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2019. p. 177-183 9014373 (Proceedings - 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review

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Bicakci K, Ak IK, Ozdemir BA, Gozutok M. Open-TEE is no longer virtual: Towards software-only trusted execution environments using white-box cryptography. In Proceedings - 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. 2019. p. 177-183. 9014373. (Proceedings - 1st IEEE International Conference on Trust, Privacy and Security in Intelligent Systems and Applications, TPS-ISA 2019). doi: 10.1109/TPS-ISA48467.2019.00029

Open-TEE is no longer virtual: Towards software-only trusted execution environments using white-box cryptography

Abstract

Publication series

Conference

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

Access to Document

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