Electronic device security system and method

• US 8,128,710 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Softex LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Softex Incorporated
• Inventors: Bhansali, Apurva Mahendrakumar, Tucker, Thomas David, Varghese, Elza Abraham, Kapila, Ranjit, Dhanani, Kamal Mansukhlal, Raikar, Rayesh Kashinath, Patel, Mehul Ramjibhai, Rangarajan, Gayathri, Dube, Shradha, Jain, Manoj Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): LaForgia, Christian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tolentino, Roderick
• Application Number:
  US11/927,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20080098483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 726/35, 726/34, 379 37- 51, 340287-309
• US Class Current: 726/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning

Abstract

A system and method for securing and tracking an electronic device. A method includes but is not limited to accepting a selection of a service to erase a hard disk drive in the electronic device; recording that the electronic device has been reported stolen; and erasing the hard disk drive.

Claims

1. A method for providing security for an electronic device, by an electronic device security system, the method comprising:

accepting, at a central server, a selection of a data destruction service for the electronic device, the data destruction service to cause erasure of a non-volatile storage device in the electronic device after the electronic device has been reported stolen;

after accepting the selection of the data destruction service for the electronic device, receiving, at the central server, a report that the electronic device has been stolen;

after receiving the report that the electronic device has been stolen, recording in the central server that the electronic device has been reported stolen;

causing to be presented, by a device other than the electronic device, an option to confirm that the non-volatile storage device of the electronic device is to be erased;

accepting, from the device other than the electronic device, input to confirm that the non-volatile storage device is to be erased; and

after receiving the report that the electronic device has been stolen, causing the electronic device to erase the non-volatile storage device,

wherein the system includes (a) a non-viewable component, (b) an application component that is connected to the non-viewable component, that is capable of communicating with the non-viewable component, and that executes within an operating system environment, (c) a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) component connected to the non-viewable component, and (d) a server system capable of communicating through a secure medium with the application component,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to determine whether the non-viewable component is present and whether the non-viewable component has been tampered with,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to check integrity of the application component during a boot process for the electronic device,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to automatically cause the electronic device to restore the integrity of the application component, in response to a negative integrity check of the application component,

wherein the application component is substantially distinct from the BIOS component and the non-viewable component, and

wherein the non-viewable component is configured to determine whether the application component is present and whether the application component has been tampered with.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording that the electronic device is being tracked.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an electronic mail containing location identification information of the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

directing a user to a third-party website.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-viewable component, the application component and the BIOS component reside in the electronic device.

2. A system for providing security for an electronic device, comprising:

a non-viewable component;

an application component that is connected to the non-viewable component, that is capable of communicating with the non-viewable component, and that executes within an operating system environment;

a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) component connected to the non-viewable component; and

a server system capable of communicating through a secure medium with the application component,

wherein the system is operable to perform operations comprising;

accepting a selection of a data destruction service for an electronic device, the data destruction service to cause erasure of a non-volatile storage device in the electronic device after the electronic device has been reported stolen;

after accepting the selection of the data destruction service for the electronic device, receiving a report that the electronic device has been stolen;

after receiving the report that the electronic device has been stolen, recording that the electronic device has been reported stolen;

causing to be presented, by a device other than the electronic device, an option to confirm that the non-volatile storage device of the electronic device is to be erased;

accepting, from the device other than the electronic device, input to confirm that the non-volatile storage device is to be erased; and

after receiving the report that the electronic device has been stolen, causing the electronic device to erase the non-volatile storage device,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to determine whether the non-viewable component is present and whether the non-viewable component has been tampered with,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to check integrity of the application component during a boot process for the electronic device,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to automatically cause the electronic device to restore the integrity of the application component, in response to a negative integrity check of the application component,

wherein the application component is substantially distinct from the BIOS component and the non-viewable component, and

wherein the non-viewable component is configured to determine whether the application component is present and whether the application component has been tampered with.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

recording that the electronic device is being tracked.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending an electronic mail containing location identification information of the electronic device.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

directing a user to a third-party website.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the server system is operable to perform at least one of the following:

(a) recording that the electronic device is being tracked, after the report that the electronic device has been stolen has been received, (b) sending an electronic mail including location identification information of the electronic device, after the report that the electronic device has been stolen has been received, and (c) directing a user to a third-party website.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the server system is operable to accept the selection of the data destruction service for the electronic device.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein the server system is operable to record that the electronic device has been reported stolen, after the report that the electronic device has been stolen has been received.

13. The system of claim 2, wherein the application component is operable to record that the electronic device has been reported stolen, after the report that the electronic device has been stolen has been received.

14. The system of claim 2, wherein the operation of causing the electronic device to erase the non-volatile storage device comprises:

sending an instruction to erase the non-volatile storage device from the server system to the application component.

15. The system of claim 2, wherein the application component is operable to erase the non-volatile storage device in response to an instruction from the server system.

16. The system of claim 2, wherein the server system is operable to cause to be presented, by a device other than the electronic device, the option to confirm that the non-volatile storage device is to be erased.

17. The system of claim 2, wherein the server system is operable to accept, from a device other than the electronic device, the input to confirm that the non-volatile storage device is to be erased.

18. The system of claim 2, wherein the non-viewable component, the application component and the BIOS component reside in the electronic device.

19. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory machine accessible storage medium; and

instructions stored in the non-transitory machine accessible storage medium, wherein the instructions, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform operations comprising;

accepting a selection of a data destruction service for an electronic device, the data destruction service to cause erasure of a non-volatile storage device in the electronic device after the electronic device has been reported stolen;

after accepting the selection of the data destruction service for the electronic device, receiving a report that the electronic device has been stolen;

after receiving the report that the electronic device has been stolen, recording that the electronic device has been reported stolen;

causing to be presented, by a device other than the electronic device, an option to confirm that the non-volatile storage device of the electronic device is to be erased;

accepting, from the device other than the electronic device, input to confirm that the non-volatile storage device is to be erased; and

after receiving the report that the electronic device has been stolen, causing the electronic device to erase the non-volatile storage device,

wherein the computer system includes (a) a non-viewable component, (b) an application component that is connected to the non-viewable component, that is capable of communicating with the non-viewable component, and that executes within an operating system environment, (c) a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) component connected to the non-viewable component, and (d) a server system capable of communicating through a secure medium with the application component,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to determine whether the non-viewable component is present and whether the non-viewable component has been tampered with,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to check integrity of the application component during a boot process for the electronic device,

wherein the BIOS component is configured to automatically cause the electronic device to restore the integrity of the application component, in response to a negative integrity check of the application component,

wherein the application component is substantially distinct from the BIOS component and the non-viewable component, and

wherein the non-viewable component is configured to determine whether the application component is present and whether the application component has been tampered with.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

recording that the electronic device is being tracked.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending an electronic mail containing location identification information of the electronic device.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

directing a user to a third-party website.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the non-viewable component, the application component and the BIOS component reside in the electronic device.