File manipulation during early boot time

• US 7,769,992 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2006
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carbonite LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Webroot Software Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Min
• Primary Examiner(s): CONNOLLY, MARK A
• Application Number:
  US11/465,680
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046709A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,446 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/2, 726/22, 726/24
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4403 Processor initialisation

Abstract

A system and method for enabling access to user-level data is described. One embodiment includes accessing user-level data associated with a kernel-level function using a portable executable (PE) file. The user-level data is accessed during a boot-time of a computer. In this embodiment, the PE file is also accessed using the computer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

accessing at least a portion of a user-level index associated with a kernel-level function during an early boot-time of a computer; and

processing the portion of the index using the computer;

wherein the user-level index is a file with a structure that is substantially similar to that of a portable executable (PE) file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing includes transmitting the portion of the user-level index to a location that can be accessed by a pestware monitor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing includes processing the portion of the user-level index so that user-level data associated with the user-level index can be accessed by a pestware monitor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing includes processing the portion of the user-level index so that user-level data associated with the user-level index can be accessed by a pestware monitor, the pestware monitor is at least one of a kernel-level monitor or a user-level monitor.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying a boot loader registry during an installation period so that the portion of the user-level index can be accessed.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing includes accessing using at least one PE file.