Methods and Apparatus for Batch Bound Authentication

• US 20090086981A1
• Filed: 09/28/2007
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Kumar, Mohan J., Gueron, Shay
• Granted Patent: US 8,068,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/285
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot

Abstract

A processing system may include a processing unit and nonvolatile storage responsive to the processing unit. The nonvolatile storage may include a candidate boot code module and an authentication code module. The processing unit may be configured to execute code from the authentication code module before executing code from the candidate boot code module. The authentication code module may have instructions which, when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to read a processor identifier from the processing unit and determine whether the processor belongs to a predetermined set of processors associated with a specific vendor, based at least in part on the identifier, before executing any instructions from the candidate boot code module. The processing system may also test authenticity of the candidate boot code module before executing any instructions from the candidate boot code module. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method for verifying data and hardware in a processing system, the method comprising:

reading a processor identifier from a processor in a processing system;

determining whether the processor belongs to a predetermined set of processors associated with a specific vendor, based at least in part on the identifier;

automatically determining whether system firmware in the processing system is authentic, based at least in part on a digital signed message in the processing system; and

determining whether or not to execute the system firmware, based at least in part on the determinations of whether the processor belongs to the predetermined set of processors and whether the system firmware is authentic;

wherein the digitally signed message involves a digital signature applied to a message comprising;

data to identify the system firmware; and

data to identify the predetermined set of processors associated with the specific vendor.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the digitally signed message comprises a message signed using a shared secret technique.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the digitally signed message comprises a message signed using a public key encryption technique.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically allowing the processing system to boot in response to determinations that the processor belongs to the predetermined set of processors and the system firmware is authentic; and

automatically terminating a boot process in response to a determination that processor does not belong to the predetermined set of processors or the system firmware is not authentic.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of determining whether the processor belongs to the predetermined set of processors associated with the specific vendor comprises:

determining whether the processor identifier belongs to a set of processor identifiers assigned to the specific vendor by a processor manufacturer.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the operation of determining whether the processor belongs to the predetermined set of processors associated with the specific vendor comprises:

obtaining a batch identifier from non-volatile storage in the processing system, wherein the batch identifier defines a batch of processors assigned to the specific vendor by a processor manufacturer; and

determining whether the processor has been assigned to the specific vendor by the processor manufacturer, based at least in part on the processor identifier and the batch identifier.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

before determining whether the processor belongs to the predetermined set of processors, retrieving the data to identify the predetermined set of processors from an augmented authentication code module (AACM) in the processing system.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the system firmware comprises a basic input/output system (BIOS).

9. A processing system comprising:

a processor with a processor identifier;

at least one nonvolatile storage component responsive to the processor;

a candidate boot code module in the at least one nonvolatile storage component; and

an authentication code module in the at least one nonvolatile storage component;

the processor configured to execute code from the authentication code module before executing code from the candidate boot code module; and

wherein the authentication code module comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processing system to perform operations comprising;

reading the processor identifier from the processor;

determining whether the processor belongs to a predetermined set of processors associated with a specific vendor, based at least in part on the processor identifier, before executing any instructions from the candidate boot code module; and

testing authenticity of the candidate boot code module before executing any instructions from the candidate boot code module.

10. A processing system according to claim 9, wherein:

the authentication code module further comprises a secret key of the specific vendor; and

the candidate boot code module comprises a firmware image, signed using the secret key.

11. A processing system according to claim 10, wherein:

the secret key of the specific vendor comprises a symmetric cryptographic key.

12. A processing system according to claim 10, wherein:

the secret key of the specific vendor comprises an asymmetric cryptographic key.

13. A processing system according to claim 9, wherein the instructions in the authentication code module comprises preliminary boot instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processing system to perform operations comprising:

automatically allowing the processing system to boot in response to determinations that the processor belongs to the predetermined set of processors and the candidate boot code module is authentic; and

automatically terminating a boot process in response to a determination that processor does not belong to the predetermined set of processors or the candidate boot code module is not authentic.

14. A processing system according to claim 9, wherein the operation of determining whether the processor belongs to the predetermined set of processors associated with the specific vendor comprises:

determining whether the processor identifier belongs to a set of processor identifiers assigned to the specific vendor by a processor vendor.

15. A processing system according to claim 9, wherein the operation of determining whether the processor belongs to the predetermined set of processors associated with the specific vendor comprises:

obtaining a batch identifier from the at least one nonvolatile storage component, wherein the batch identifier defines a batch of processors assigned to the specific vendor by a processor vendor; and

determining whether the processor has been assigned to the specific vendor by the processor vendor, based at least in part on the processor identifier and the batch identifier.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a machine-accessible medium; and

an authentication code module in the machine-accessible medium, wherein the authentication code module comprises instructions which, when executed by a processor of a processing system, cause the processing system to perform operations comprising;

reading a processor identifier from the processor;

determining whether the processor belongs to a predetermined set of processors associated with a particular vendor, based at least in part on the processor identifier; and

testing authenticity of a candidate boot code module before executing any instructions from the candidate boot code module.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the authentication code module further comprises:

a batch identifier to define a batch of processors assigned to the particular vendor by a processor vendor.

18. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the authentication code module further comprises:

a digitally signed message involving a digital signature applied to a message comprising data to identify approved system firmware.

19. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the authentication code module further comprises:

a digitally signed message involving a digital signature applied to a message comprising;

data to identify approved system firmware; and

a batch identifier to define a batch of processors assigned to the particular vendor by a processor vendor.

20. An apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the authentication code module further comprises:

a digital key associated with the digitally signed message.