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Sleep protection

  • US 7,392,415 B2
  • Filed: 06/26/2002
  • Issued: 06/24/2008
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A method comprisingstoring unencrypted secrets in a memory of a system;

  • setting a first flag in a secrets store to indicate that the memory contains unencrypted secrets;

    setting a second flag in a sleep enable store to request a sleep controller to cause the system to enter one of a plurality of sleep states by powering down at least one of a plurality of system components;

    determining which of the plurality of sleep states to enter based on a sleep type store, wherein the type of sleep state determines which of the plurality of system components to power down and the wake-up latency of the system;

    detecting a sleep attack,determining that the memory contains unencrypted secrets based on the secrets store; and

    before entering a sleep state, in response to determining that the memory contains unencrypted secrets based on the secrets store, invoking a sleep attack response that protects the unencrypted secrets from the sleep attack, the sleep attack response including one or more from the group of generating a system reset event, generating a system halt event, generating a system shutdown event, generating a system power off event, powering circuitry used to protect the unencrypted secrets during the sleep state, or erasing the memory.

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