Method and apparatus for controlling access to and corruption of information in computer systems
First Claim
1. An apparatus for controlling access to and modification of information stored on a storage medium of a computer system, the information on the storage medium being divided into a plurality of non-overlapping partitions including a boot partition and a plurality of general partitions, each partition being capable of containing ties and each partition further being divided into a plurality of sectors, any designated subset of the general partitions being capable of being made active at any given time when the computer system is in use, wherein the apparatus comprises a supervising means separate of a central processing unit (CPU) of the computer system for, in use, allowing/restricting/prohibiting read/write operations upon the storage medium depending upon whether information to be read from a sector or written to a sector is operating system information or user information, whether the sector is in the boot partition or in a general partition, and whether if the partition is a user partition the partition is active or inactive, and allowing a format operation only on a general partition which is active and prohibiting a format operation on the boot partition or on a general partition which is inactive, and reset means connected with said supervisor means for resetting the computer system should an attempt be made to perform a prohibited read, write or format operation, in use.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus and method restrict the corruption or destruction of data held on a storage medium forming part of a computer system by hostile programs such as "viruses"by employing a "Supervisor" which controls the reading, writing and formatting of sectors within partitions of a storage medium. The control is dependent upon which type of partition the sector is within, i.e. the boot partition, or an active or inactive general partition, and which type of data the sector contains, i.e. operating system or user information. The Supervisor may be implemented in hardware or firmware, and preferably provides a processor which is inaccessible to the user and to any virus contained in any partition of, for example, a hard disk. The computer system may be reset should an attempt be made to perform a prohibited read, write or format operation.
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Citations
20 Claims
- 1. An apparatus for controlling access to and modification of information stored on a storage medium of a computer system, the information on the storage medium being divided into a plurality of non-overlapping partitions including a boot partition and a plurality of general partitions, each partition being capable of containing ties and each partition further being divided into a plurality of sectors, any designated subset of the general partitions being capable of being made active at any given time when the computer system is in use, wherein the apparatus comprises a supervising means separate of a central processing unit (CPU) of the computer system for, in use, allowing/restricting/prohibiting read/write operations upon the storage medium depending upon whether information to be read from a sector or written to a sector is operating system information or user information, whether the sector is in the boot partition or in a general partition, and whether if the partition is a user partition the partition is active or inactive, and allowing a format operation only on a general partition which is active and prohibiting a format operation on the boot partition or on a general partition which is inactive, and reset means connected with said supervisor means for resetting the computer system should an attempt be made to perform a prohibited read, write or format operation, in use.
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9. A method of controlling access to and modification of information stored on a storage medium forming part of a computer system including a supervising means separate from a central processing unit (CPU) of the computer system, wherein information stored on the storage medium is divided into a plurality of non-overlapping partitions, including a boot partition and a plurality of general partitions, each of the partitions being capable of containing files and each partition further being divided into a plurality of sectors, any designated subset of the general partitions being capable of being made active at any given time when the computer system is in use, comprising the steps of:
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allowing/restricting/prohibiting read/write operations upon the storage medium using said supervision means depending upon whether information to be read from a sector or written to a sector is operating system information or user information, whether the sector is in the boot partition or in a general partition, and whether if the partition is a general partition the partition is active or inactive; allowing a format operation only on a general partition which is active and prohibiting a format operation on the boot partition or on a general partition which is inactive, and causing a reset of the computer system should an attempt be made to perform a prohibited read, or format operation. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification