Key Transfer Manager (KTM) Overview

Description:

The rapid development of Internet-based communication and commerce has brought about the need for enhanced platform-based system security. The Trusted Computing Group (TCG) is an industry standards body comprised of computer and device manufacturers, software vendors and related organizations. TCG develops and promotes open industry standard specifications which enhance the security of the computing environment across multiple platforms and devices. These specifications define the hardware building blocks and software interfaces that enable more secure data storage, online business practices and online commerce transactions while protecting privacy and individual rights.

One of the hardware building blocks of the TCG specifications is the Trusted Platform Module (TPM). The Key Transfer Manager is a software application that communicates with the TPM through TCG-defined software interfaces to archive cryptographic keys and certificates in case of a hard drive or TPM failure.

The remainder of this section briefly describes the TPM and provides an overview of operations the Key Transfer Manager software can perform. For additional information, refer to the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) web site at https://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org.

A basic - yet critically important – requirement of a trusted system is its ability to properly manage keys used for cryptographic operations. While the TPM provides a secure hardware environment for these keys, it is the Key Transfer Manager software that allows for management of those keys. With the Key Transfer Manager, users can:

Create new key archives
Automatically archive keys when they are created
Restore keys to current PC
Transfer keys to a different PC
Recover from a failed motherboard or TPM
Archive and restore certificates associated with the TPM keys
Share keys in support of advanced functionality provided by an application

Alternative solutions fall short of offering these capabilities. Key Transfer Manager ensures users get the level of enhanced security that TPM-enabled systems are intended to provide.

Article ID: KTM-001
Last Reviewed: October 8, 2009