Processing trusted commands in trusted and untrusted environments

US6871283B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, 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 29, 2000
• Grant date: Mar 22, 2005
• Expiry date: Feb 29, 2020

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 some indication of what is to be done back to the user for confirmation. 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.