Method of providing enhanced security in a remotely managed computer system
US6823464B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 26, 2001 |
| Grant date | Nov 23, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 8, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F21/57
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Authentication of an entity remotely managing a data processing system is enabled to allow changes by the remote entity to hard-locked critical security information normally accessible only during the POST and only to trusted entities such as the system BIOS. The remote entity builds a change request and generates a hash from the change request with a current password appended. The change request and the hash are stored in a lockable non-volatile buffer which, once locked, requires a system reset to access. During the next POST, a trusted entity such as the system BIOS reads the change request, generates an authentication hash from the change request and the current password within the hard-locked security information, and compares the buffered hash with the generated hash. If a match is determined, the security information is updated; otherwise a tamper error is reported.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.