Trusted Mobile Devices: Requirements for a Mobile Trusted Platform Module

In recent years, mobile devices have replaced desktop PCs as the computing platform of choice for many users. Unfortunately, most mobile devices lack the security measures, such as hardware roots of trust, available in more traditional business-class computing platforms. Researchers at APL are working with the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) to develop specifications for trusted computing technologies in mobile devices. These technologies will enable desirable security properties, such as device integrity and protected storage, in mobile devices. In this article, we provide an analysis of the difficulties that must be overcome by those specifications. We describe key features of trusted mobile devices: roots of trust, the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Mobile host environment, and the Secure Boot mechanism. We present and analyze an example implementation of a near-term trusted mobile phone. Finally, we outline the TPM Mobile roadmap to bring trusted mobile devices to market.