Keys in the Clouds: Auditable Multi-device Access to Cryptographic Credentials

Personal cryptographic keys are the foundation of many secure services, but storing these keys securely is a challenge, especially if they are used from multiple devices. Storing keys in a centralized location, like an Internet-accessible server, raises serious security concerns (e.g. server compromise). Hardware-based Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) are a well-known solution for protecting sensitive data in untrusted environments, and are now becoming available on commodity server platforms. Although the idea of protecting keys using a server-side TEE is straight-forward, in this paper we validate this approach and show that it enables new desirable functionality. We describe the design, implementation, and evaluation of a TEE-based Cloud Key Store (CKS), an online service for securely generating, storing, and using personal cryptographic keys. Using remote attestation, users receive strong assurance about the behaviour of the CKS, and can authenticate themselves using passwords while avoiding typical risks of password-based authentication like password theft or phishing. In addition, this design allows users to i) define policy-based access controls for keys; ii) delegate keys to other CKS users for a specified time and/or a limited number of uses; and iii) audit all key usages via a secure audit log. We have implemented a proof of concept CKS using Intel SGX and integrated this into GnuPG on Linux and OpenKeychain on Android. Our CKS implementation performs approximately 6,000 signature operations per second on a single desktop PC. The latency is in the same order of magnitude as using locally-stored keys, and 20x faster than smart cards.Comment: Extended version of a paper to appear in the 3rd Workshop on Security, Privacy, and Identity Management in the Cloud (SECPID) 201

Modernizing Password Usage In Computing

A study of password usage and crypotography in computing culminates in the development of a password manager that improves users' password security. PassMan offers two-factor encrypted storage of user passwords and account information via the Yubikey, a common hardware authentication device, login auto-typing, password strength calculation, and customizable password generation. *Includes CD

Strong authentication based on mobile application

The user authentication in online services has evolved over time from the old username and password-based approaches to current strong authentication methodologies. Especially, the smartphone app has become one of the most important forms to perform the authentication. This thesis describes various authentication methods used previously and discusses about possible factors that generated the demand for the current strong authentication approach. We present the concepts and architectures of mobile application based authentication systems. Furthermore, we take closer look into the security of the mobile application based authentication approach. Mobile apps have various attack vectors that need to be taken under consideration when designing an authentication system. Fortunately, various generic software protection mechanisms have been developed during the last decades. We discuss how these mechanisms can be utilized in mobile app environment and in the authentication context. The main idea of this thesis is to gather relevant information about the authentication history and to be able to build a view of strong authentication evolution. This history and the aspects of the evolution are used to state hypothesis about the future research and development. We predict that the authentication systems in the future may be based on a holistic view of the behavioral patterns and physical properties of the user. Machine learning may be used in the future to implement an autonomous authentication concept that enables users to be authenticated with minimal physical or cognitive effort

On the Usability of Authenticity Checks for Hardware Security Tokens

The ultimate responsibility to verify whether a newly purchased hardware security token (HST) is authentic and unmodified lies with the end user. However, recently reported attacks on such tokens suggest that users cannot take the security guarantees of their HSTs for granted - even despite widely deployed authenticity checks. We present the first comprehensive market review evaluating the effectiveness and usability of authenticity checks for the most commonly used HSTs. Furthermore, we conducted a survey (n=194) to examine users’ perceptions and usage of these checks. We found that due to a lack of transparency and information, users often do not carry out - or are not aware of - essential checks but rely on less meaningful methods. Moreover, our results confirm that currently deployed authenticity checks cannot mitigate all variants of distribution attacks. Furthermore, some authenticity concepts of different manufacturers contradict each other. To address these challenges, we suggest a combination of already deployed and novel authenticity checks as well as a user-centered transparent design

Modeling and Analysis of Advanced Cryptographic Primitives and Security Protocols in Maude-NPA

Tesis por compendio[ES] La herramienta criptográfica Maude-NPA es un verificador de modelos especializado para protocolos de seguridad criptográficos que tienen en cuenta las propiedades algebraicas de un sistema criptográfico. En la literatura, las propiedades criptográficas adicionales han descubierto debilidades de los protocolos de seguridad y, en otros casos, son parte de los supuestos de seguridad del protocolo para funcionar correctamente. Maude-NPA tiene una base teórica en la rewriting logic, la unificación ecuacional y el narrowing para realizar una búsqueda hacia atrás desde un patrón de estado inseguro para determinar si es alcanzable o no. Maude-NPA se puede utilizar para razonar sobre una amplia gama de propiedades criptográficas, incluida la cancelación del cifrado y descifrado, la exponenciación de Diffie-Hellman, el exclusive-or y algunas aproximaciones del cifrado homomórfico. En esta tesis consideramos nuevas propiedades criptográficas, ya sea como parte de protocolos de seguridad o para descubrir nuevos ataques. También hemos modelado diferentes familias de protocolos de seguridad, incluidos los Distance Bounding Protocols or Multi-party key agreement protocolos. Y hemos desarrollado nuevas técnicas de modelado para reducir el coste del análisis en protocolos con tiempo y espacio. Esta tesis contribuye de varias maneras al área de análisis de protocolos criptográficos y muchas de las contribuciones de esta tesis pueden ser útiles para otras herramientas de análisis criptográfico.[CAT] L'eina criptografica Maude-NPA es un verificador de models especialitzats per a protocols de seguretat criptogràfics que tenen en compte les propietats algebraiques d'un sistema criptogràfic. A la literatura, les propietats criptogràfiques addicionals han descobert debilitats dels protocols de seguretat i, en altres casos, formen part dels supòsits de seguretat del protocol per funcionar correctament. Maude-NPA te' una base teòrica a la rewriting lògic, la unificació' equacional i narrowing per realitzar una cerca cap enrere des d'un patró' d'estat insegur per determinar si es accessible o no. Maude-NPA es pot utilitzar per raonar sobre una amplia gamma de propietats criptogràfiques, inclosa la cancel·lació' del xifratge i desxifrat, l'exponenciacio' de Diffie-Hellman, el exclusive-or i algunes aproximacions del xifratge homomòrfic. En aquesta tesi, considerem noves propietats criptogràfiques, ja sigui com a part de protocols de seguretat o per descobrir nous atacs. Tambe' hem modelat diferents famílies de protocols de seguretat, inclosos els Distance Bounding Protocols o Multi-party key agreement protocols. I hem desenvolupat noves tècniques de modelització' de protocols per reduir el cost de l'analisi en protocols amb temps i espai. Aquesta tesi contribueix de diverses maneres a l’àrea de l’anàlisi de protocols criptogràfics i moltes de les contribucions d’aquesta tesi poden ser útils per a altres eines d’anàlisi criptogràfic.[EN] The Maude-NPA crypto tool is a specialized model checker for cryptographic security protocols that take into account the algebraic properties of the cryptosystem. In the literature, additional crypto properties have uncovered weaknesses of security protocols and, in other cases, they are part of the protocol security assumptions in order to function properly. Maude-NPA has a theoretical basis on rewriting logic, equational unification, and narrowing to perform a backwards search from an insecure state pattern to determine whether or not it is reachable. Maude-NPA can be used to reason about a wide range of cryptographic properties, including cancellation of encryption and decryption, Diffie-Hellman exponentiation, exclusive-or, and some approximations of homomorphic encryption. In this thesis, we consider new cryptographic properties, either as part of security protocols or to discover new attacks. We have also modeled different families of security protocols, including Distance Bounding Protocols or Multi-party key agreement protocols. And we have developed new protocol modeling techniques to reduce the time and space analysis effort. This thesis contributes in several ways to the area of cryptographic protocol analysis and many of the contributions of this thesis can be useful for other crypto analysis tools.This thesis would not have been possible without the funding of a set of research projects. The main contributions and derivative works of this thesis have been made in the context of the following projects: - Ministry of Economy and Business of Spain : Project LoBaSS Effective Solutions Based on Logic, Scientific Research under award number TIN2015-69175-C4-1-R, this project was focused on using powerful logic-based technologies to analyze safety-critical systems. - Air Force Office of Scientific Research of United States of America : Project Advanced symbolic methods for the cryptographic protocol analyzer Maude-NPA Scientific Research under award number FA9550-17-1-0286 - State Investigation Agency of Spain : Project FREETech: Formal Reasoning for Enabling and Emerging Technologies Scientific I+D-i Research under award number RTI2018-094403-B-C32Aparicio Sánchez, D. (2022). Modeling and Analysis of Advanced Cryptographic Primitives and Security Protocols in Maude-NPA [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/190915Compendi

Man-in-the-Machine : Exploiting Ill-Secured Communication Inside the Computer

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