Security threat level estimation for untrusted software based on TrustZone technology

Abstract

The paper proposes a model for assessing the security of information processed by untrusted software from the components of the TrustZone technology. The results of vulnerability analysis of TrustZone technology implementations are presented. The structure of the trustlets security analysis tool has been developed. The paper deals with the problem of assessing the credibility of foreign-made software and hardware based on processors with the ARM architecture. The main results of the work are the classification of trustlets using their threat level assessment and the model of security threat level estimation of information processed by trustlets. Trustlets are software that operates in a trusted execution environment based on TrustZone technology in computers with ARM processors. An assessment of the security of information processed by trustlets for some implementations of trusted execution environments was carried out. The structural scheme of the analysis tool that allows identifying potentially dangerous code constructs in binary files of trustlets is presented. Also analysis tool's algorithm performing syntactic analysis of trustlet data is described. The calculation of the security assessment is carried out on the basis of a set of features proposed by authors. Calculated security assessment levels can be used to classify trustlets that are part of «trusted» operating systems based on TrustZone technology. The levels of potential threat to the security of the information they process are used to differ trustlets during certification tests and vulnerability search. It is advisable to use the results of the work in the interests of conducting certification tests of computer software based on processors with ARM architecture.