Towards a secure, tamper-proof grid platform

Abstract

Security concerns currently deter or prohibit many organisations from leveraging the benefits of the grid. When sensitive data is placed under the control of third-party infrastructure it is difficult to obtain assurances that it will be appropriately protected. We develop a grid platform architecture based on a secure root of trust. This component provides a tamper-resistant environment for grid job execution that resists attack even if the host itself is compromised. We use trusted computing, a security technology currently being integrated into an increasing number of mainstream PCs, for dynamic trust establishment within the grid. These elements are combined to create a novel and practical solution for the grid malicious host problem, ensuring that data integrity and confidentiality are appropriately protected for jobs that span multiple administrative domains.