Cryptographic Key Protection in a Cryptoprocessor

Key management encompasses protocols related to generation, distribution, establishment and revocation of keys and subsequent protection of keys during storage and while in use. Hardware Security Module (HSM) is used for this purpose which adheres to standards such as FIPS 140-2 or IBM Common Criteria. Hardware tokens primarily serve to transport the keys to an unprotected environment. In this paper we introduce challenges to key management and propose approaches for key management in a cryptoprocessor. Advanced Encryption Standard Key Wrap algorithm which is one of the most widely used method for key protection in field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) is also considered.