Method for executing trusted-path commands

US6507909B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• COMPAQ Information Technologies Group, L.P. · US

Inventors

• Mary Ellen Zurko · Groton, US
• Thomas Andrew Casey, Jr. · Westwood, US
• Morrie Gasser · Hopkinton, US
• Judith Shelhorse Hall · Sudbury, US
• Clifford E. Kahn · Framingham, US
• Andrew H. Mason · Hollis, US
• Paul Douglas Sawyer · Billerica, US
• Leslie Richard Kendall · Gloucester, US
• Steven B. Lipner · Oakton, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 13, 1990
• Grant date: Jan 14, 2003
• Expiry date: Feb 13, 2010

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F2211/009
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method for executing trusted commands, in which a trusted command is first received from a user at a user terminal and parsed by untrusted code; then passed to a trusted computing base for execution. The trusted computing base displays to the user for confirmation indication of what is to be done. Confirmation of the commands prevents unauthorized modification of the commands and increases system confidence. A randomly (or pseudo-randomly) generated process identifier is employed to verify the existence of a trusted path.