Dissecting the AMD Platform Security Processor

Delve into the inner workings of the AMD Platform Security Processor (PSP) in this comprehensive 49-minute conference talk. Explore the security subsystem introduced in 2013 that is essential for system startup and offers runtime services to the main processor. Gain insights into the PSP's undocumented, proprietary firmware, including its filesystem structure and the challenges of reverse-engineering such a deeply embedded system. Examine the PSP's role in system security, its full access to system memory space, and its potential impact on trust in AMD CPUs. Learn about the efforts to investigate the PSP's functionality and security implications, and consider strategies for regaining trust in AMD processors despite the PSP's sensitive nature. Analyze the broader context of trusted computing bases in industrial systems, infrastructure, and consumer electronics, and evaluate the effectiveness of the AMD Secure Processor as a trusted execution environment for critical operations.