Security apparatus for computing systems

• US 10,169,623 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2016
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bartley, Gerald K., Becker, Darryl J., Doyle, Matthew S., Jeanson, Mark J., Maxson, Mark O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, David
• Application Number:
  US15/292,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20180107847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss

Abstract

A security apparatus that can detect unauthorized alterations of physical arrangement of a computing system or unauthorized movements of a computing system through the use of acoustic signals is designed. Modules of a computing system including the security apparatus are able to generate acoustic measurements from received returned acoustic signals. Also, the modules are able to derive baseline acoustic measurements based on stored acoustic profiles. If, for any module of the computing system, its generated acoustic measurements do not substantially match its baseline acoustic measurements, the mismatch may indicate that there is an unauthorized alteration of physical arrangement of the computing system or an unauthorized movement of the computing system. Thus, the security apparatus in the module may take actions to prevent access to the sensitive data stored in the module.

Claims

1. A security apparatus, comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit acoustic signals in a computing system according to an acoustic pattern;

a receiver configured to receive returned acoustic signals in response to the transmitted acoustic signals;

a logic configured to;

upon receiving the returned acoustic signals at the receiver, generate acoustic measurements from the returned acoustic signals based on the acoustic pattern, the generated acoustic measurements relating to a physical arrangement of computing components within the computing system;

compare the generated acoustic measurements to baseline acoustic measurements, wherein the baseline acoustic measurements are derived from acoustic profiles corresponding to a default physical arrangement of computing components within the computing system; and

upon determining that the generated acoustic measurements do not substantially match the baseline acoustic measurements, assert a signal indicating that the default physical arrangement of computing components within the computing system has been altered.

2. The security apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acoustic measurements comprise amplitude and/or frequencies of the returned acoustic signals.

3. The security apparatus of claim 1, wherein the acoustic measurements comprise current resonance frequency and/or natural frequency of the computing system.

4. The security apparatus of claim 1, wherein the baseline acoustic measurements comprise expected returned acoustic signals in response to the transmitted acoustic signals, and wherein the expected returned acoustic signals are corresponding to the default physical arrangement of the computing system.

5. The security apparatus of claim 1, wherein the baseline acoustic measurements comprise resonance frequency and/or natural frequency of the computing system under the default physical arrangement and wherein the returned acoustic signals comprise allowed external disruptive acoustic signals.

6. The security apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic is further configured to prevent access to data stored in a module including the security apparatus.

20. The security apparatus of claim 1, wherein the generated acoustic measurements relate to a physical arrangement of at least one of:

a motherboard, a processor, a video card, a hard disk drive, a network card, and a memory.

7. A computer program product for a security apparatus, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to, upon receiving returned acoustic signals at a receiver, generate acoustic measurements from the returned acoustic signals based on an acoustic pattern, the generated acoustic measurements relating to a physical arrangement of computing components within a computing system, wherein a transmitter in the security apparatus is configured to transmit acoustic signals in the computing system according to the acoustic pattern; and

wherein the receiver in the security apparatus is configured to receive the returned acoustic signals in response to the transmitted acoustic signals;

computer readable program code configured to compare the generated acoustic measurements to baseline acoustic measurements, wherein the baseline acoustic measurements are derived from acoustic profiles corresponding to a default physical arrangement of computing components within the computing system; and

computer readable program code configured to, upon determining that the generated acoustic measurements do not substantially match the baseline acoustic measurements, assert a signal indicating that the default physical arrangement of computing components within the computing system has been altered.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the acoustic measurements comprise amplitude and/or frequencies of the returned acoustic signals.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the acoustic measurements comprise current resonance frequency and/or natural frequency of the computing system.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the baseline acoustic measurements comprise expected returned acoustic signals in response to the transmitted acoustic signals, and wherein the expected returned acoustic signals are corresponding to the default physical arrangement of the computing system.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the baseline acoustic measurements comprise resonance frequency and/or natural frequency of the computing system under the default physical arrangement.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the returned acoustic signals comprise allowed external disruptive acoustic signals.

13. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer-readable program code further comprises:

computer readable program code configured to prevent access to data stored in a module including the security apparatus.

14. A method, comprising:

transmitting acoustic signals in a computing system according to an acoustic pattern;

receiving returned acoustic signals in response to the transmitted acoustic signals;

upon receiving the returned acoustic signals, generating acoustic measurements from the returned acoustic signals based on the acoustic pattern, the generated acoustic measurements relating to a physical arrangement of computing components within the computing system;

comparing the generated acoustic measurements to baseline acoustic measurements, wherein the baseline acoustic measurements are derived from acoustic profiles corresponding to a default physical arrangement of computing components within the computing system; and

upon determining that the generated acoustic measurements do not substantially match the baseline acoustic measurements, asserting a signal indicating that the default physical arrangement of computing components within the computing system has been altered.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the acoustic measurements comprise amplitude and/or frequencies of the returned acoustic signals.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the acoustic measurements comprise current resonance frequency and/or natural frequency of the computing system.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the baseline acoustic measurements comprise expected returned acoustic signals in response to the transmitted acoustic signals, and wherein the expected returned acoustic signals are corresponding to the default physical arrangement of the computing system.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the baseline acoustic measurements comprise resonance frequency and/or natural frequency of the computing system under the default physical arrangement.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

preventing access to data stored in a module including the security apparatus.