System Description

Purpose and Revision

The purpose of this document is to provide a description of the mta1_mkdf. What it is, what is supposed to be used for, by whom, where and possible use cases. The document also provides a functional level description of features and components of the mta1_mkdf.

Finally, the document acts as a requirement description. For the requirements, the document follows RFC2119 to indicate requirement levels.

The described functionality and requirements applies to version one (v1) of the mta1_mkdf.

The intended users of this document are:

Implementors of the mta1_mkdf hardware, firmware and SDKs
Developers of secure applications for the mta1_mkdf
Technically skilled third parties that wants to understand the mta1_mkdf

Introduction

The mta1_mkdf is USB-connected, RISC-V based application platform. The purpose of the mta1_mkdf is to provide a secure application environment for applications that provides some security functionality needed by the user. Some examples of such security functionality are:

TOTP token generators
Signing oracles
SSH login dongles

Measured Based Security

The key, unique feature of the mta1_mkdf is that it measures the secure application when the application is being loaded onto the device. The measurement, combined with a Unique Device Secret (UDS) is used to derive secrets for the application.

The consequence of this is that if the application is altered, the keys derived will also change. Conversely, if the keys derived are the same as last time the application was loaded onto the same device, the application can be trusted not to have been altered.

Note that since the UDS is per-device unique, the same application loaded onto another mta1_mkdf device will cause a different set of keys to be derived. This ties keys to a specific device.

The derivation can also be combined with a User Supplied Secret (USS). This means that keys derived are both based on something the user has - the specific device, and something the user knows (the USS). And the keys are protected and can be trusted because of the measurement being used in the derivation.

Assets

The mta1_mkdf store and use the following assets internally:

UDS - Unique Device Secret. Provisioned and stored during device manufacturing. Never to be replaced during the life time of a given device. Used to derive application secrets. Must never leave the device. Mullvad must NOT store a copy of the UDS.
UDI - Unique Device ID. Provisioned and stored during device manufacturing. Never to be replaced or altered during the life time of a given device. May be copied, extracted, read from the device.
UDA - Unique Device Authentication Secret. Provisioned and stored during device manufacturing. Never to be replaced during the life time of a given device. Used to authenticate a specific device. Must never leave the device. Mullvad MUST have a copy of the UDA.

Additionally the following asset could be provided from the host:

USS - User Supplied Secret. Provisioned by the application. May possibly be replaced many times. Supplied from the host to the device. Should not be revealed to a third party.

Subsystems and Components

The mta1_mkdf as a project, system and secure application platform consists of a number of subsystems and components, modules, support libraries etc. Roughly these can be divided into:

mta1_mkdf boards. PCB designs for development and general usage
interface_fpga. FPGA design with cores
application_fpga. FPGA design with cores including CPU and memory
application_fpga FW. The base software running on the CPU to boot, load applications, derive keys etc
application_fpga secure application. One or more applications loaded into the application_fpga to provide some functionality to the user of the host
host side application loader. Software that talks to the FW in the application_fpga to load a secure application
host side boot, management. Support software to boot, authenticate the mta1_mkdf board connected to a host
host side secure application. Software that communicates with the secure application running in the application_fpga as needed to solve a security objective
application_fpga FW SDK. Tools, libraries, documentation and examples to support development of the application_fpga firmware
secure application SDK. Tools, libraries, documentation and examples to support development of the secure applications to be loaded onto the application_fpga
host side secure application SDK. Tools, libraries, documentation and examples to support development of the host applications

Application FPGA Hardware Functionality

The Application FPGA hardware should provide the following:

Fixed information
- Unique Device ID (UID)
  - 64 bits
  - Readable via API before application start
  - Generated and stored by Mullvad
- Unique Device Authentication key (UDA)
  - At least 128 bits number
  - Readable by FW before application start
  - Generated and stored by Mullvad
- Unique Device Secret (UDS)
  - 256 bits
  - Readable by HW before application start
  - Generated but NOT stored by Mullvad
- NAME
  - 64 bits. ASCII string. "mta1_mkdf"
  - Readable via API before application start
  - Set by Mullvad as part of FPGA design
- VERSION: version
  - 32 bits. 32 bit data, for example 1
  - Readable via API before application start
  - Set by Mullvad as part of FPGA design
Communication
- Rx-FIFO with status (data_available)
  - 8 bit data in RX_FIFO_DATA address
  - Byte received status bit in RX_FIFO_AVAILABLE address
  - Readable by FW and application
- Tx-FIFO with capacity (fifo_ready)
  - 8 bit data in TX_FIFO_DATA address
  - Ready to store byte status bit in TX_FIFO_READY address
  - Status readable by FW and application
  - Data writable by FW and application
I/O
- LED (RGB)
  - Status and control in LED address
  - Readable and writable by FW and application
Counter
- One general purpose counter
  - Prescaler (for counting cycles and seconds)
  - Start value, alternatively reset
  - Saturating max, alternatively stop at zero
  - Readable and writable by FW and application
TRNG
- ROSC based internal entropy source
  - Von Neumann decorrelation
  - Simple self-testing ability
  - 32 bit data
  - Status (data_ready, error)
  - Readable by FW and application
Introspection
- Address och size of loaded application
  - Readable by FW and application

Application FPGA Firmware Functionality

The firmware in the application should provide the following functionality:

Read access to fixed values:
- application_fpga name and version strings
- Unique Device ID (UID)
Read and write to test register used for debugging
Respond to challenge/response based device authentication commands
Receive and store a 32 byte User Supplied Secret (USS)
Receive, store and measure a secure application
Derive Application Master Secret (AMS) given measurement, UDS and USS
Provide hashing using Blake2s
Start a loaded application. This includes locking down access to UDS, UDA etc

References

More detailed information about the software running on the device (referred to firmware, SDK, and secure application), can be found in the software document.

Work in Progress

TODOs and random notes, questions to be worked into the document. Or be scratched.

Possible technical solution - Could we reuse the button as a physical presence detect when injecting a bitstream from the interface_fpga to the application_fpga? Alternative have a strap, which would require opening the stick. The stick is the sold with nail polish to reseal it.
Ideas - mitigating mechanisms for host bases threats
- Push button
- User Supplied Secret (USS)
Open Questions to be investigated, handled
- Terminology - naming things
- How to create trust in the SDKs

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