Patent · US Active

Secure option ROM control

US9881158B2 · kind B2 · utility

4Cited by
1References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 22, 2012
Grant dateJan 30, 2018
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 26, 2033

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG06F21/57
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A mechanism for controlling the execution of Option ROM code on a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)-compliant computing device is discussed. A security policy enforced by the firmware may be configured by the computing platform designer/IT administrator to take different actions for different types of detected expansion cards or other devices due to the security characteristics of Option ROM drivers associated with the expansion card or device. The security policy may specify whether authorized signed UEFI Option ROM drivers, unauthorized but signed UEFI Option ROM drivers, unsigned UEFI Option ROM drivers and legacy Option ROM drivers are allowed to execute on the UEFI-compliant computing device.

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