Method and apparatus for securing communication of instructions to manage antenna power output

• US 10,216,241 B1
• Filed: 08/02/2017
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Bologna, Benny J., Koshy, Kamal J., Montero, Adolfo S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Linh V
• Application Number:
  US15/667,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20190041929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3278 Power saving in modem or I/O interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2221 to test input/output devices or peripheral units
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/245 with means for shaping the antenna pattern, e.g. in order to protect user against rf exposure
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0661 by reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0663 Performing the actions predefined by failover planning, e.g. switching to standby network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/557 Error correction, e.g. fault recovery or fault tolerance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A system of antenna power management security may comprise a memory for storage in a standard absorption rate control register of code instructions executed to alter a transmitting antenna power level, and a processor operably connected to the memory executing code instructions of an antenna power management security system to store a randomly generated challenge number in a challenge register of the memory, determine a first response value based on the randomly generated challenge number, read a second response value determined by the processor executing code instructions of a basic input output system and stored in the memory, and if the first response value matches the second response value, allow the processor executing code instructions of the basic input output system to store a single command in the standard absorption rate control register within a preset time period, for later execution by the processor.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a standard absorption rate control register for storage of one or more code instructions executed to alter a power level of a transmission by an operably connected transmitting antenna;

a processor operably connected to the memory executing code instructions of an antenna power management security system to;

store a randomly generated number in a challenge register;

determine a first response value based on the randomly generated number;

read a second response value determined by the processor executing basic input output system code instructions and stored in a response register;

compare the first response value to the second response value;

if the first response value matches the second response value, receive a power management command to alter power supplied to the transmitting antenna from the processor executing basic input output system code instructions via a secure interface; and

store the power management command within the standard absorption rate control register within a preset time period for later execution by the processor.

2. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising:

the processor executing code instructions of the antenna power management security system to ignore attempts of the processor executing code instructions of the basic input output system to transmit the power management command via the secure interface if the first response value does not match the second response value.

3. The information handling system of claim 1 further comprising:

the processor executing code instructions of the basic input output system to

receive from an integrated circuit a power management command instruction to decrease a voltage supplied to the transmitting antenna in response to a change in capacitance sensed across a proximity sensing element; and

transmit the power management command to the antenna power management security system within the preset time period;

the processor executing code instructions of the antenna power management security system operably connected to the transmitting antenna to;

store the received power management command in the standard absorption rate control register; and

execute the power management command instruction.

4. The information handling system of claim 3 further comprising:

an embedded controller operably connected to the integrated circuit and the processor, wherein the integrated circuit transmits the instruction to decrease the voltage supplied to the transmitted antenna to the processor via the embedded controller.

5. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the first response value and second response value are determined based on the randomly generated number using an asymmetric cryptographic method.

6. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the first response value and second response value are determined based on the randomly generated number using an elliptic curve cryptographic method.

7. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the challenge register and the response register of the memory allow for storage of data records having a length of bits at a protocol-acceptable secure level.

8. A method of securing communication bus transmissions controlling antenna power output comprising:

storing a randomly generated number in a challenge register;

determining a first response value based on a randomly generated challenge value generated by a processor executing code instructions of an antenna power management security system;

reading a second response value determined by the processor executing basic input output system code instructions and stored in a response register;

comparing the first response value to the second response value; and

if the first response value matches the second response value, receiving a power management command to alter power supplied to an operably connected transmitting antenna from the processor executing basic input output system code instructions via a secure interface; and

storing the received power management command within a standard absorption rate control register within a preset time period for later execution by the processor.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

ignoring attempts of the processor executing code instructions of the basic input output system to transmit the power management command via the secure interface if the first response value does not match the second response value.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

executing the power management command stored in the standard absorption rate control register.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving the power management command to alter a voltage supplied to the transmitting antenna in response to a change in capacitance sensed across a proximity sensing element from an operably connected integrated circuit via an embedded controller.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the first response value and second response value are determined based on the randomly generated challenge value using an asymmetric cryptographic method.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the power management command to alter the voltage supplied to the transmitting antenna includes a command to decrease the voltage supplied to the transmitting antenna.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the standard absorption rate control register allows for storage of data records having a length of 32 bits.

15. An information handling system comprising:

a standard absorption rate control register for storage of one or more code instructions executed to alter a power level of a transmission by an operably connected transmitting antenna;

a processor operably connected to the memory executing code instructions of an antenna power management security system to;

store a randomly generated number in a challenge register;

determine a first response value based on the randomly generated number using an asymmetric cryptographic method;

read a second response value determined by the processor executing basic input output system code instructions using the asymmetric cryptographic method and stored in a response register;

compare the first response value to the second response value; and

if the first response value matches the second response value, receive a power management command to alter power supplied to the transmitting antenna from the processor executing basic input output system code instructions via a secure interface; and

store the power management command within the standard absorption rate control register within a preset time period for later execution by the processor.

16. The information handling system of claim 15 further comprising:

the processor executing code instructions of the antenna power management security system to ignore attempts of the processor executing code instructions of the basic input output system code instructions to transmit the power management command via the secure interface if the first response value does not match the second response value.

17. The information handling system of claim 15 further comprising:

the processor executing code instructions of the basic input output system to

receive from an integrated circuit the power management command to decrease a voltage supplied to the transmitting antenna in response to a change in capacitance sensed across a proximity sensing element;

transmit the power management command instruction to the antenna power management security system via the secure interface; and

the processor executing code instructions of the antenna power management security system to;

store the power management command in the standard absorption rate control register; and

execute the power management command.

18. The information handling system of claim 17 further comprising:

an embedded controller operably connected to the integrated circuit and the processor, wherein the integrated circuit transmits the power management command to alter the voltage supplied to the transmitted antenna to the processor via the embedded controller.

19. The information handling system of claim 15, wherein the first response value and second response value are determined based on the randomly generated number using an elliptic curve cryptographic method.

20. The information handling system of claim 15, wherein the secure interface is carried out over a peripheral component interconnect express electronic bus.