Isolated computing environment anchored into CPU and motherboard

• US 8,464,348 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2004
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Frank, Alexander, Hall, Martin H., Phillips, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Zachary A
• Application Number:
  US11/022,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20060107328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,093 Days
• Field of Search: 713/189, 713/194, 713/176, 713/164, 726/26, 726/34, 710/200, 711/163
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/123 by using dedicated hardware, e.g. dongles, smart cards, cryptographic processors, global positioning systems [GPS] devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/725 operating on a secure reference time value
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2135 Metering
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2153 Using hardware token as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3552 Downloading or loading of personalisation data
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/082 Features insuring the integrity of the data on or in the card
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/12 Details relating to cryptographic hardware or logic circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

A computer is adapted for pay-for-use operation by adding a isolated computing environment to a standard computer. The isolated computing environment may include a trusted non-volatile memory, a digital signature verification capability, a clock or timer and a logic circuit for triggering execution of a validation program responsive to the clock or timer. The isolated computing environment may be protected from tampering by physical or cryptographic mechanisms, or both. The validation program measures or monitors for non-compliant states of the computer and may enforce sanctions when non-compliant states of the computer are detected.

Claims

1. A computer that is adapted for pay-for-use operation, the computer comprising:

a first unsecure memory;

a display;

a processor operatively coupled to the first unsecure memory and the display;

an isolated computing environment that is adapted to communicate with the processor and allow the computer to be used in pay-for-use operations, the isolated computing environment including;

a second memory that is different than the first unsecure memory, is operably coupled to the processor, and is inaccessible by unauthorized execution environments on the first unsecure memory, the unauthorized execution environments including at least an operating system of the computer,

a verification program stored in the second memory that is coded to monitor the computer, including the operating system, for any of a set of non-compliant conditions, the set of non-compliant conditions relating to pay-for-use operation of the computer, the set of non-compliant conditions comprising presence of a prohibited alternative boot device,

a logic circuit that causes execution of the verification program,

a clock that;

provides the verification program with ensured processor cycles on the processor to monitor the computer; and

triggers the logic circuit to force execution of the verification program via an interrupt that causes the processor to execute the verification program using the ensured processor cycles, and

an enforcement program stored in the second memory that is coded to, when the verification program determines the presence of an individual non-compliant condition from the set of non-compliant conditions on the computer, initiate a sanction against a user of the computer by maintaining operation of the computer at a reduced function level until the user corrects the individual non-compliant condition of the computer;

wherein the isolated computing environment is further designed to support changes of state of the computer related to functions associated with provisioning resources for the pay-for-use operation;

wherein the isolated computing environment is further designed so that the clock provides timing intervals for metering programs and expiration dates related to the pay-for-use operation of the computer; and

wherein the isolated computing environment, including the second memory, is disposed on a motherboard that forms a part of the computer and is protected from tampering by unauthorized users of the computer by means of a tamper resistant mechanism.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the set of non-compliant conditions relate to a state of the operating system and validity of a basic input/output system (BIOS).

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein the verification program is one of a service and an application.

4. The computer of claim 1, wherein the tamper resistant mechanism comprises epoxy.

5. The computer of claim 1, further comprising a system bus connecting the processor and the first unsecure memory and a second, different bus connecting the second memory to the clock.

6. The computer of claim 1, the second memory being partitioned into a first area and a second area, wherein the first area can only be accessed from a first processor mode and the second area can only be accessed by a second, different processor mode.

7. The computer of claim 6, the first processor mode comprising an x86 ring 0 mode.

8. The computer of claim 1, the set of non-compliant conditions comprising noncompliance with a usage policy relating to contractual terms of a pay-per-use contract for the pay-per-use operation of the computer.