ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20170262383A1
• Filed: 02/23/2017
• Published: 09/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Ki-hun, HUR, Jong-oh, KIM, Ji-hoon, PARK, Jin-bum, KIM, Dong-uk
• Application Number:
  US15/440,283
• Publication Number:
  US 20170262383A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1425 the protection being physical, e.g. cell, word, block
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1052 Security improvement

Abstract

An electronic apparatus and a control method thereof are provided. The electronic apparatus includes a memory having a protection area and storing data of a first operating system (OS) and at least one first program involved with first OS in the protection area; at least one processor configured to execute the at least one first program and at least one second program involved with a second OS having an authority higher than the first OS; and a memory monitor comprising circuitry configured to detect whether an access to the protection area of the memory occurs, to interrupt the access if the access occurs, and to perform a security verification of the data stored in the protection area. The electronic apparatus may guarantee and/or improve integrity thereof using a hardware device, which can directly monitor the memory at a CPU environment in which a security area and a general area are separated.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a memory comprising a protection area and configured to store data of a first operating system (OS) and at least one first program involved with first OS in the protection area;

at least one processor configured to execute the at least one first program and at least one second program involved with a second OS having an authority higher than the first OS; and

a memory monitor comprising circuitry configured to;

to detect whether an access to the protection area of the memory occurs;

to interrupt the access if the access occurs; and

to perform a security verification of the data stored in the protection area.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute a security program to monitor the protection area of the memory.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the memory monitor is configured to transmit information on access occurrence to the security program if the access to the protection area of the memory occurs.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the information on access occurrence comprises an address and a data value of the protection area of the memory to which the access has occurred.

5. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the memory monitor is configured to store the information on access occurrence in a register and to generate an interrupt request to transmit to the security program.

6. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the security program comprises:

a manager program configured to send and receive information on the protection area of the memory to and from the memory monitor; and

a verification program configured to perform security verification based on the information on access occurrence transmitted from memory monitor.

7. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the security program is executed by support of the second OS.

8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the manager program is configured to set the protection area of the memory based on a request of the verification program.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the manager program is configured to set at least one of:

a static memory protection area and a dynamic memory protection area based on the request of the verification program.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to set at least one operation of the at least one first program and to execute an operation monitoring program configured to determine whether the set operation is altered.

20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

setting at least one operation of the at least one first program and executing an operation monitoring program, which determines whether the set operation is altered.

11. A control method of an electronic apparatus comprising:

storing data of a first operating system (OS) and at least one first program involved with first OS in a protection area of a memory;

executing, by at least one processor, the at least one first program and at least one second program involved with a second OS having an authority higher than the first OS; and

detecting whether an access to the protection area of the memory occurs;

interrupting the access if the access occurs; and

performing a security verification of the data stored in the protection area.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute a security program for monitoring the protection area of the memory.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting information on access occurrence to the security program if the access to the protection area of the memory occurs.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the information on access occurrence comprises:

an address and a data value of the protection area of the memory to which the access has occurred.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:

storing the information on access occurrence in a register and generating an interrupt request to transmit to the security program.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the security program comprises:

a manager program configured to send and receive information on the protection area of the memory to and from the memory monitor; and

a verification program configured to perform security verification based on the information on access occurrence transmitted from memory monitor.

17. The method according to claim 12, wherein the security program is executed by support of the second OS.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising setting the protection area of the memory based on a request of the verification program.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

setting at least one of a static memory protection area and a dynamic memory protection area based on the request of the verification program.