Patent · US Expired

System and method for controlling the use of a computer

US5361359A · kind A · utility

271Cited by
10References
33Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 31, 1992
Grant dateNov 1, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 31, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F2221/2141
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method for auditing and controlling the use of a computer. An operating system and selected programs and data , referred to as approved applications and approved data , are stored on a protected media which cannot be modified by any ordinary user or application program, regardless of operating system privilege. The protected media can be modified by the operating system, as well as by an administrator using a trusted path mechanism. The trusted path mechanism establishes a reliable communication channel between the administrator and the computer system. The present invention may be configured to collect user audit data concerning user activity and system status and to write the audit data to the protected media. Also, the present invention may be configured to limit execution of application programs to the approved applications.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.