SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SECURELY RESTORING A PROGRAM CONTEXT FROM A SHARED MEMORY

A system and method for securely restoring software program context is presented. A special purpose processor core is included in a heterogeneous processing environment where each processor can access a shared memory. The isolated special purpose processor core includes an isolated local memory. The isolated special purpose processor core receives an identifier corresponding to the secured program. The identifier is used to read an encrypted context of the secured program from the shared memory. The encrypted context is decrypted using an encryption key. The decrypted context is stored in the isolated special purpose processor core's local memory. The secured program's context integrity is verified by using a persistent security data that is retrieved from a secure location, such as a persistent storage register that can only be accessed when the special purpose processor core is running in isolation mode. If the context is verified, the secured program is executed.