Provisioning

The, provisioning, attestation, revocation, and interoperability of devices are core components of a secure, lifecycle-managed ecosystem, particularly within Internet of Things (IoT) and Trusted Execution Environments (TEE). These processes ensure that devices are genuine, configured correctly, and can be securely decommissioned while adhering to standardized, cross-platform protocols. FIDO Alliance +4

1. Provisioning
Provisioning is the process of securely introducing a device into an ecosystem, often involving the injection of cryptographic keys, identities, and initial configurations at the time of manufacturing or during first-time setup. Android Open Source Project +4

• Remote Key Provisioning: Modern systems like Android 12+ use remote provisioning to supply devices with unique attestation certificates, which are shorter-lived and more secure than factory-provisioned certificates.
• IoT Provisioning: Services like Azure IoT Device Provisioning Service (DPS) use Registration IDs and Endorsement Keys (EK) to automatically enroll devices at scale.
• Secure Credential Loading: Securely provisioning symmetric keys or certificates ensures that only authorized devices can access services. Android Open Source Project +4

2. Attestation
Attestation is the method for confirming a device’s identity and integrity, verifying that the hardware, firmware, and software have not been compromised. Approov

• Methods: Common forms include X.509 certificates (based on public key infrastructure) and TPM (Trusted Platform Module) based on nonce challenges.
• Remote Attestation: This process allows a verifier (e.g., a cloud service) to confirm that a device is running genuine software in a secure state.
• FIDO Attestation: Used in authentication to prove that a cryptographic key was generated within trusted hardware.
• Evidence Generation: Devices, such as those using TEEs, generate signed reports (evidence) that are sent to a verifier for validation. Gramine docs +4

3. Revocation
Revocation is the process of invalidating a device’s, user’s, or application’s credentials to prevent them from accessing services, often following a security compromise or the end of the device’s lifecycle. EU Digital Strategy +4

• Mechanisms: Revocation can be handled via Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) or by deleting individual enrollment entries in a provisioning service.
• Suspension vs. Revocation: In identity ecosystems (like the EUDI Wallet), certificates or tokens can be suspended or permanently revoked.
• Timing: Revocation must occur immediately if a device is deemed untrustworthy to protect the overall system. GitHub +4

4. Interoperability
Interoperability ensures that devices and services from different vendors can communicate and trust each other through shared standards and protocols. YouTube +4

• Standards Bodies: Organizations like the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) and IETF (via RATS working group) define standards for attestation data models and formats to ensure compatibility across heterogeneous systems.
• Common Formats: The use of COSE (CBOR Object Signing and Encryption) and EAT (Entity Attestation Tokens) helps different vendors create interoperable, machine-readable evidence.
• Ecosystem Standards: Initiatives such as the European Digital Identity (EUDI) Wallet use frameworks to manage, share, and verify credentials across borders.
• Protocol-Aware Interoperability: Using standard protocols like RESTful APIs ensures that different software ecosystems can interact securely.