The term Root of Trust (RoT) is commonly used in information security circles, but what does it mean? Why do we care? How does it apply to cryptographic controls? Modern computer systems are incredibly powerful and flexible. They can be molded to accomplish things that were unimaginable a mere decade ago. This same property makes them almost impossible to control and all too easy for malicious actors to find ways to disrupt them. To counter these threats, security experts have resorted to a wide range of cryptographic tools, and for these tools to function they need a trust worthy beginning.
