How does part of a microprocessor (Apple secure enclave) use a microkernel (L4)?

Question

Please excuse my ignorance. I'm an 'old-fashioned' guy who thinks that there is just 'software' and 'hardware' - and these are two separate things. Along this line of thinking an OS is part of the software, and a microkernel is part of the OS. (I'm aware of the debate about Microkernels - and how Linux didn't really end up using one).

I'm also aware you can do fairly amazing things with FPGAs - but perhaps I assumed this was limited to microcode and DSP.

So when I hear the quote:

Apple is using the L4 kernel ... It's the microkernel in the Secure Enclave

I'm fascinated.

I'm aware that L4 is the microkernel that has been 'proven correct' against its specification. But to me - that is part of the OS. (ie loaded from disk into memory and then instructions are transferred down to the CPU over the Bus.)

My question is: How does part of a microprocessor (Apple secure enclave) use a microkernel (L4)? (Is this a kind of FPGA? Do they feed it into the part that lays out the transistors and 'embed' the software in silicon?)

Answer 1

Majenko's answer is correct but not entirely complete. The whole thing rests on ARM's "TrustZone".

This is a stronger version of the normal concept of "ring 0" security found in operating systems, or a "hypervisor". It's a top level operating system that boots from the incorruptible ROM, configures the MMU, and then boots the "user" (phone) operating system. The special thing about the ARM version is extra MMU protection, so that the phone operating system cannot access all the hardware or memory.

Edit: see http://www.google.com/patents/US8775757

It seems to be both a distinct processor within the SoC and the "trust zone" MMU protection. Both processors have access to main memory, including a "mailbox" for communication between the two, but some memory is protected against access by anything other than the "secure enclave" processor.

The first non-patent citation of that document is "ARM Security Technology Building a Secure System using TrustZone® Technology, Copyright © 2005-2009 ARM Limited. All rights reserved, PRD29-GENC-009492C".

Answer 2

The Secure Enclave is a separate CPU core within the CPU. It has its own RAM, ROM, etc, and consequently runs its own separate OS.

You can think of it as a computer within a computer, and that "inner" computer is heavily firewalled off from the "outer" computer so only certain data can pass from one to the other.

The theory is that your especially secure information (biometric ID data, etc) is only within the ultra-secure core and can't be accessed by anything else.