computer science

PrivateCore

PrivateCore is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand PrivateCore rather than just read about it. In short: PrivateCore is a venture-backed startup located in Palo Alto, California that develops software to secure server data through server attestation and memory encryption. The company's attestation and memory encryption technology fills a gap that exists between “data in motion” encryption (TLS, email encryption) and “data at rest” encryption (disk encryption, tape encryption) by protecting “data in use” (random access…

Key takeaways

PrivateCore belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect PrivateCore to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of PrivateCore from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

PrivateCore is a venture-backed startup located in Palo Alto, California that develops software to secure server data through server attestation and memory encryption. The company's attestation and memory encryption technology fills a gap that exists between “data in motion” encryption (TLS, email encryption) and “data at rest” encryption (disk encryption, tape encryption) by protecting “data in use” (random access memory). PrivateCore memory encryption technology protects against threats to servers such as cold boot attacks, hardware advanced persistent threats, rootkits/bootkits, computer hardware supply chain attacks, and physical threats to servers from insiders. PrivateCore was acquired by Facebook (now Meta Platforms) on 7 August 2014.

History PrivateCore was founded in 2011 by security veterans from VMware and Google with seed funding from Foundation Capital. PrivateCore “virtualizes” physical security and enables service providers and enterprises to deploy servers processing sensitive data in outsourced environments while maintaining security around data in use. The company's memory encryption technology has been spurred by a number of industry trends including the increasing sophistication of hackers, a larger number of servers in outsourced environments, larger amounts of sensitive data being placed in persistent memory, and x86 virtualization technology which can increase the environment attack surface. PrivateCore was acquired by Facebook, a deal that was announced on 7 August 2014.

Technology PrivateCore's focus is securing data-in-use on x86 servers. The company has taken advantage of recent microprocessor innovations including larger microprocessor caches and hardware cryptographic acceleration technology that enable more effective methods of encrypting memory while maintaining acceptable application performance. The technology approach goes beyond previous academic research efforts such as TRESOR. PrivateCore assumes that the only element that needs to be trusted in a system is the Central Processing Unit (CPU). The firm uses Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chips and Intel Trusted Execution Technology (Intel TXT) to provide remote server attestation. PrivateCore also supports the cryptographic hardware acceleration provided by Intel AES-NI technology. PrivateCore technology is positioned as being most applicable to outsourced or hosted environments where the enterprise cannot have trust in the computing infrastructure.

Products The PrivateCore vCage product portfolio comprises vCage Manager and vCage Host. vCage Manager validates the integrity of x86 servers running Linux as well as the vCage Host. vCage Host installs on bare-metal servers and provides a hardened hypervisor based on KVM that can secure server random access memory (RAM) with AES encryption. vCage Host does this by loading a secure hypervisor into the CPU cache and acting as a gateway to encrypt memory paging in and out between the CPU cache and RAM. vCage memory encryption leverages the KVM hypervisor but also has the potential to support other hypervisors. vCage Host supports existing KVM management tools. vCage supports a number of use cases including creating OpenStack trusted computing pools as well as protecting x86 servers in co-location and bare-metal cloud environments. vCage Manager and vCage Host became generally available on 11 February 2014.

References

External links Official website Physical Privilege Escalation and Mitigation in the x86 World, talk given by the founders at CanSecWest 2013

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with PrivateCore

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what PrivateCore claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to PrivateCore before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about PrivateCore ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of PrivateCore

In research: PrivateCore appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses PrivateCore in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: PrivateCore is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2011 establishments in California, 2014 mergers and acquisitions, Companies based in Palo Alto, California, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for PrivateCore outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study PrivateCore in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what PrivateCore means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain PrivateCore out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is PrivateCore in simple terms?

Why does PrivateCore matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study PrivateCore?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on PrivateCore.