And in most cases (except those involving TPM-based platform attestation, which 
I don’t think has anything to do with OpenSSL use cases),  a separate hardware 
token (like a smartcard, or an HSM) would IMHO be a much better and more usable 
choice. PKCS#11 engine (libp11) to access those is quite popular and work well.

--
Regards,
Uri Blumenthal

On 7/7/17, 11:53, "openssl-users on behalf of Michael Wojcik" 
<openssl-users-boun...@openssl.org on behalf of michael.woj...@microfocus.com> 
wrote:

    > agreed, but this engine  does not really put the keys inside the TPM - 
instead it sets up a local repository that is encrypted
    > using a key from the TPM. If you look at the way it is designed, it is 
not really secure (as it's not impossible to find the 
    > password that was used to encrypt the keys with).
    
    "really secure" is not a useful phrase. Security is a set of asymptotic 
trade-offs between attacker and defender work-factors under a threat model. 
Nothing ever achieves "really secure".
    
    Even a hypothetical OpenSSL engine that performed all cryptographic 
operations on the TPM wouldn't achieve specified security under the TPM threat 
model unless the engine, all of OpenSSL, and whatever is invoking it were part 
of the TCB.
    
    That said, there is certainly a case to be made that an OpenSSL engine 
which performed at least some crypto operations on the TPM is of at least 
academic interest. Someone might want to start with the Trousers engine and try 
extending it. (Enhancing an existing engine generally isn't particularly 
difficult, in my experience, though of course it depends on what you're trying 
to do and what APIs are available.) Or try writing a fresh TPM engine using, 
say, the Windows TPM API.
    
    It might help to know what your use case is.
    
    Michael Wojcik 
    Distinguished Engineer, Micro Focus 
    
    
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