Implementing TPM Commands in the Copland Remote Attestation Language

So much of what we do on a daily basis is dependent on computers: email,social media, online gaming, banking, online shopping, virtual conference calls, and general web browsing to name a few. Most devices we depend on for these services are computers or servers that we do not own, nor do we have direct physical access to. We trust the underlying network to provide access to these devices remotely. But how do we know which computers/servers are safe to access, or verify that they are who they claim to be? How do we know that a distant server has not been hacked and compromised in some way? Remote attestation is a method for establishing trust between remote systems. An appraiser can request information from a target system. The target responds with evidence consisting of run-time measurements, configuration information, and/or cryptographic information (i.e. hashes, keys, nonces, or other shared secrets). The appraiser can then evaluate the returned evidence to confirm the identity of the remote target, as well as determine some information about the operational state of the target, to decide whether or not the target is trustworthy. A tool that may prove useful in remote attestation is the TPM, or “Trusted Platform Module”. The TPM is a dedicated microcontroller that comes built-in to nearly all PC and laptop systems produced today. The TPM is used as a root of trust for storage and reporting, primarily through integrated cryptographic keys. This root of trust can then be used to assure the integrity of stored data or the state of the system itself. In this thesis, I will explore the various functions of the TPM and how they may be utilized in the development of the remote attestation language, “Copland”

Facilitating teacher leadership in Kazakhstan

This is an action-based study that was conducted in four schools in Kazakhstan with the purpose to facilitate teacher leadership for sustainable improvement of practice and enhancing the teacher’s role in education reform in Kazakhstan. By drawing on a non-positional approach to teacher leadership, this study sought bottom-up approaches to educational reform, school leadership and professional development in schools in Kazakhstan. The nine-month intervention programme, which was called the Teacher Leadership for Learning and Collaboration, introduced strategies and created conditions for teachers to lead educational improvement at classroom, school and system level. This has implications for a wider societal development. With the dissolution of Soviet Union, Kazakhstan has been undergoing transition for the last few decades. In the new era, the country is seeking the revival of its national identity, inclusion of its citizens and economic competitiveness, wherein educational improvement has become the country’s top priority. The outcomes of this study indicate that educational improvement requires building local capacity by empowering teachers to lead learning and innovation within and outside their schools. Such a grassroots movement requires systemic and systematic facilitation in schools in Kazakhstan. Ongoing practice-oriented critical reflection, focused action, horizontal communication and school networking can enable teachers and school leadership team members to develop their understanding and foster participatory practices within schools. The study employed a critical participatory action research approach that enabled the building of context-sensitive knowledge and included the voices and reflections of the participants involved in this research. Data were collected through multiple research tools, analysed both during and after the intervention process and presented in the form of a critical narrative to depict the nuances of local reality. The outcomes of this study suggest that teachers can innovate, engage in creative pedagogical practice and lead educational improvement, which requires developing strategies and involving all stakeholders in facilitating teacher leadership.'Talap' scholarship, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhsta