Electronic device protection system and method

• US 8,292,969 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2008
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Softex LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Softex Incorporated
• Inventors: Bhansali, Apurva Mahendrakumar, Jain, Manoj Kumar, Dube, Shradha, Rangarajan, Gayathri, Patel, Mehul Ramjibhai, Raikar, Rayesh Kashinath, Dhanani, Kamal Mansukhlal, Kapila, Ranjit, Varghese, Elza Abraham, Tucker, Thomas David
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tolentino, Roderick
• Application Number:
  US12/029,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,715 Days
• Field of Search: 726/34, 726/35, 379 37- 45, 340287-291
• 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 electronic device protection. A method includes activating the electronic device; transferring control to a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) component after activation; transferring control to a non-viewable component from the BIOS component; verifying that an application component operated correctly during a previous device activation; and continuing with activation of the electronic device if the application component operated correctly during the previous device activation.

Claims

1. A method for tracking and disabling an electronic device, comprising:

initiating activation of the electronic device, after the electronic device has previously been activated and deactivated;

transferring control to a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) component after initiation of activation;

transferring control to a non-viewable component from the BIOS component, wherein the non-viewable component is inaccessible from an operating system (OS) environment in the electronic device;

verifying, with the non-viewable component, that an application component associated with tracking the electronic device operated correctly during a previous device activation;

continuing with activation of the electronic device in response to a determination that the application component operated correctly during the previous device activation; and

preventing the electronic device from completing activation in response to a determination that the application component did not operate correctly during the previous device activation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

activation of the electronic device comprises activating a power on self test of the electronic device; and

transferring control to the BIOS component comprises transferring control to the BIOS component during the power on self test.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein verifying that the application component operated correctly comprises checking a communication area to determine if the application component operated correctly during the previous device activation.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining if the electronic device has been disabled; and

if the electronic device is disabled;

displaying system information and an unlock key;

prompting a user of the electronic device to enter an activation password to re-enable the electronic device; and

preventing the electronic device from completing activation of the electronic device if the electronic device does not receive the activation password.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein continuing with activation of the electronic device comprises returning control to the power on self test to proceed with booting the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining if a hidden partition exists if the electronic device is not disabled;

transferring control to a non-viewable component if the hidden partition exists; and

automatically creating a hidden partition if the hidden partition does not exist.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining if a bootable OS partition exists;

rebooting the electronic device to restart the power on self test; and

proceeding with booting the electronic device until it stops booting if no bootable OS partition exists.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining if a bootable OS partition exists;

in response to a determination that the bootable OS partition exists;

prompting the user to insert a recovery medium into the electronic device; and

after the recovery medium has been inserted into the electronic device, automatically rebuilding the hidden partition from the recovery medium.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein transferring control to a non-viewable component if the hidden partition exists, comprises:

checking a communication area to determine if the application component operated correctly during a last device boot; and

returning control to the power on self test to proceed with booting the electronic device if the application component operated correctly during the last device boot.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein transferring control to a non-viewable component if the hidden partition exists, further comprises:

prompting that the electronic device will be disabled after a number of device boots unless corrective action is taken if the application component did not operate correctly during the last device boot;

disabling the electronic device if the number of device boots has been reached without corrective action; and

prompting for the activation password if the number of device boots has been reached.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein transferring control to a non-viewable component if the hidden partition exists, further comprises restoring the application component from a backup fileset if the application component did not operate correctly during the last device boot.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the number of device boots is five.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the power on self test proceeds with booting the electronic device by transferring control to the application component, comprising:

executing system processes and an application program contained in the application component;

checking if the application component is operating correctly; and

communicating to the BIOS component if the application component is operating correctly.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the power on self test proceeds with booting the electronic device by transferring control to the application component, further comprising:

detecting an Internet connection on the electronic device;

attempting to contact a primary server; and

sending an encrypted message to the primary server if successful in contacting the primary server.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein integrity of the application component is checked using specialized hardware.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the power on self test proceeds with booting the electronic device by transferring control to the application component, further comprising:

receiving a response from the primary server, wherein the response indicates a status of whether or not the electronic device is reported stolen;

waiting a random interval before sending another encrypted message to the primary server if the electronic device is not reported stolen; and

performing actions based on user selected service options if the electronic device is reported stolen.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the actions include disabling the electronic device or erasing a hard disk drive of the electronic device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the power on self test proceeds with booting the electronic device by transferring control to the application component, further comprising:

informing the communication area that the electronic device has been disabled if the user had selected the disable electronic device service;

sending an encrypted message to a secondary server if not successful in contacting the primary server;

warning the user that the primary server and secondary server can not be accessed if not successful in contacting the primary server or secondary server; and

disabling the electronic device after five device boots if an override code is not entered.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the message sent to the primary server is encrypted by security hardware and includes a serial number or model number of the electronic device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the encrypted message to the secondary server requests the status of the primary server.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein warning the user that the primary server and secondary server cannot be accessed comprises requesting the user correct the problem within five device boots or enter an override code to continue operation of the device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the override code is obtained from a website, call center or automated response system.

23. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory machine-readable medium; and

instructions in the non-transitory machine-readable medium, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising;

in response to initiation of activation of an electronic device after the electronic device has been previously activated and deactivated, transferring control to a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) component;

transferring control to a non-viewable component from the BIOS component, wherein the non-viewable component is inaccessible from an operating system (OS) environment in the electronic device;

verifying, with the non-viewable component, that an application component associated with tracking the electronic device operated correctly during a previous device activation;

continuing with activation of the electronic device in response to a determination that the application component operated correctly during the previous device activation; and

preventing the electronic device from completing activation in response to a determination that the application component did not operate correctly during the previous device activation.

24. An article of manufacture according to claim 23, wherein the operation of verifying that the application component operated correctly comprises checking a communication area to determine if the application component operated correctly during the previous device activation.

25. An article of manufacture according to claim 23, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining if the electronic device has been disabled; and

if the electronic device is disabled;

displaying system information and an unlock key;

prompting a user of the electronic device to enter an activation password to re-enable the electronic device; and

preventing the electronic device from completing activation of the electronic device if the electronic device does not receive the activation password.