Method and apparatus for establishing computer configuration protection passwords for protecting computer configurations
US6470454B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 31, 1998 |
| Grant date | Oct 22, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 31, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F21/31
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus is provided for facilitating the generation and use of computer system configuration passwords which can be utilized in an enterprise or organization to allow authorized users having knowledge of the password associated with a particular data processing system to make and change configuration decisions, but which prevents unauthorized users from making and changing such configuration decisions. In the preferred embodiment, a unique identifier (such as a serial number) and an enterprise secret key are supplied to a one-way cryptographic hash function in order to generate the configuration passwords which are unique to each data processing system of the plurality of data processing system of the enterprise or organization.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.