Authentication of computing and communications hardware
First Claim
1. A method for authenticating a client device by executing encoded instructions configured to cause a computer to:
- generate a current machine fingerprint for the client device comprising a processor and memory, at least in part by retrieving raw configuration data indicating current configuration states of hardware making up the client device and processing the data to generate the current machine fingerprint using less than an entirety of the raw configuration data retrieved from the hardware;
receive an identifier of the client device and from the client device through a computer network, wherein the identifier is separate from the current machine fingerprint;
use the identifier to obtain a previously generated and stored machine fingerprint associated with the identifier, wherein the stored machine fingerprint was generated using the entirety of the raw configuration data; and
provide an indication that the client device is authentic in response to determining that the current machine fingerprint matches the stored machine fingerprint;
wherein the current machine fingerprint matches the stored machine fingerprint if the configuration of the client device has not changed in any critical way since the stored fingerprint was generated.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for authenticating a computing device or hardware component includes computer-implemented process steps for assigning a unique identifier to the hardware component, generating a baseline fingerprint for the hardware component using algorithm-processing characteristic configuration data determined from the hardware component as input, wherein the baseline fingerprint is capable of being regenerated from the hardware component so long as configuration of the hardware component is not changed, transmitting the identifier in association with the baseline fingerprint for storage in a computer-readable data structure, and generating a data signal, in response to a query comprising the assigned identifier, indicating whether the stored baseline fingerprint for the assigned identifier matches a second fingerprint regenerated from the hardware component at a time after the baseline fingerprint is generated.
221 Citations
17 Claims
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1. A method for authenticating a client device by executing encoded instructions configured to cause a computer to:
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generate a current machine fingerprint for the client device comprising a processor and memory, at least in part by retrieving raw configuration data indicating current configuration states of hardware making up the client device and processing the data to generate the current machine fingerprint using less than an entirety of the raw configuration data retrieved from the hardware; receive an identifier of the client device and from the client device through a computer network, wherein the identifier is separate from the current machine fingerprint; use the identifier to obtain a previously generated and stored machine fingerprint associated with the identifier, wherein the stored machine fingerprint was generated using the entirety of the raw configuration data; and provide an indication that the client device is authentic in response to determining that the current machine fingerprint matches the stored machine fingerprint; wherein the current machine fingerprint matches the stored machine fingerprint if the configuration of the client device has not changed in any critical way since the stored fingerprint was generated. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for authenticating a hardware component by executing encoded instructions configured to cause a computer to:
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assign a unique identifier to the hardware component; generate a baseline fingerprint for the hardware component using an algorithm processing an entirety of raw configuration data determined from the hardware component as input, wherein the baseline fingerprint is capable of being regenerated from the hardware component so long as configuration of the hardware component is not changed, wherein the baseline fingerprint is separate from the identifier; transmit the identifier in association with the baseline fingerprint for storage in a computer-readable data structure; and generate a data signal, in response to a query from the hardware component through a computer network and comprising the assigned identifier, indicating whether the stored baseline fingerprint for the assigned identifier matches a second fingerprint regenerated from the raw configuration data of the hardware component at a time after the baseline fingerprint is generated; wherein the second fingerprint is generated using less than an entirety of the raw configuration data of the hardware component; and wherein the stored baseline fingerprint matches the second fingerprint if the configuration of the hardware component has not changed in any critical way since the stored baseline fingerprint was generated. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions configured to cause a computer to:
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generate a baseline fingerprint for a hardware component by processing an entirety of raw configuration data determined from the hardware component as input, wherein the baseline fingerprint is capable of being regenerated from the hardware component so long as configuration of the hardware component is not changed; transmit the baseline fingerprint for storage in a computer-readable data structure in association with a unique identifier assigned to the hardware component, wherein the baseline fingerprint is separate from the identifier; and generate a data signal, in response to a query from the hardware component through a computer network and comprising the assigned identifier, indicating whether the stored baseline fingerprint for the assigned identifier matches a second fingerprint regenerated from the hardware component subsequent to generation of the baseline fingerprint; wherein the encoded instructions are further configured to cause the computer to retrieve raw configuration data from the hardware component for use in regenerating the second fingerprint; wherein the encoded instructions are further configured to cause the computer to regenerate the second fingerprint using less than an entirety of the raw configuration data retrieved from the hardware component; and wherein the stored baseline fingerprint matches the second fingerprint if the configuration of the hardware component has not changed in any critical way since the stored baseline fingerprint was generated. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17)
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Specification