Personal electronic device and data theft prevention system and method thereof

• US 9,424,434 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2014
• Issued: 08/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Inventors: Huang, Kuan-Ju
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/225,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20150205972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss

Abstract

Data theft prevention technology for a personal electronic device is provided. When an internet-communication address of the personal electronic device is detected by a server through the internet and the server determines that the detected internet-communication address has been listed in a lost list, a processing unit of the personal electronic device operates in accordance with anti-theft software to execute the codes contained in a BIOS memory of the personal electronic device to set a medium password for a user-data storage medium of the personal electronic device and to prohibit the use of the personal electronic device.

Claims

1. A personal electronic device, comprising:

a user-data storage medium;

an internet-communication interface with an internet-communication address of the personal electronic device;

a Basic Input/Output System memory; and

a processing unit, executing the codes contained in the Basic Input/Output System memory in accordance with anti-theft software when the internet-communication address of the personal electronic device is detected by a server through the internet and the server determines that the internet-communication address has been listed in a lost list, wherein by executing the codes contained in the Basic Input/Output System memory a medium password for the user storage medium is set and the personal electronic device is prohibited from use,

wherein;

the anti-theft software is operated in an Operating System of the personal electronic device and is activated when the internet-communication address of the personal electronic device is detected by the server and the server determines that the internet-communication address has been listed in the lost list;

a System Management Interrupt is called by the anti-theft software to operate a Basic Input/Output System of the personal electronic device to set the medium password;

the Basic Input/Output System further loads the medium password into the Basic Input/Output System memory which is also loaded into the user storage medium; and

the medium password contained in the Basic Input/Output System memory is to be read out by a recovery machine of a vendor of the personal electronic device.

2. The personal electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

according to the System Management Interrupt called by the anti-theft software, the Basic Input/Output System further asserts a lost flag of the Basic Input/Output System;

with the asserting of the lost flag, the Basic Input/Output System forces the personal electronic device to reset; and

when the asserted lost flag is detected during a Power-On Self-Test of the reset personal electronic device, the Basic Input/Output System prohibits the reset personal electronic device from starting an Operating System of the personal electronic device.

3. The personal electronic device as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the lost flag is deasserted by the recovery machine when the medium password is retrieved and unlocked by the recovery machine.

4. The personal electronic device as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

the Basic Input/Output System sets the medium password with the asserting of the lost flag.

5. The personal electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

when the internet-communication address of the personal electronic device is detected by the server and the server determines that the internet-communication address has been listed in the lost list, the processing unit operates the Basic Input/Output System in accordance with the anti-theft software to set a Basic Input/Output System password of the Basic Input/Output System.

6. The personal electronic device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a screen,

wherein the Basic Input/Output System further drives the screen to show a prohibition message which contains a message that the use of the personal electronic device is prohibited.

7. A data-theft prevention system for a personal electronic device, comprising:

the personal electronic device as claimed in claim 1, and

the server,

wherein;

the server contains the lost list;

the internet-communication address of the personal electronic device is updated into the lost list when the personal electronic device gets lost and the loss of the personal electronic device is reported, and

the server looks for the lost personal electronic device by searching the internet for the internet-communication address listed in the lost list.

8. A data-theft prevention method for a personal electronic device, comprising:

loading an internet-communication interface of the personal electronic device with an internet-communication address of the personal electronic device;

installing anti-theft software onto the personal electronic device; and

when the internet-communication address of the personal electronic device is detected by a server through the internet and the server determines that the internet-communication address has been listed in a lost list, executing the codes contained in a Basic Input/Output System memory of the personal electronic device in accordance with the anti-theft software to set a medium password for the user storage medium and prohibit the user of the personal electronic device,

wherein;

the anti-theft software is operated in an Operating System of the personal electronic device and is activated when the internet-communication address of the personal electronic device is detected by the server and the server determines that the internet-communication address has been listed in the lost list;

a System Management Interrupt is called by the anti-theft software for operating a Basic Input/Output System of the personal electronic device to set the medium password;

the Basic Input/Output System further loads the medium password into the Basic Input/Output System memory which is also loaded into the user storage medium; and

the medium password contained in the Basic Input/Output System memory is to be read out by a recovery machine of a vendor of the personal electronic device.

9. The data-theft prevention method as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

according to the System Management Interrupt called by the anti-theft software, the Basic Input/Output System further asserts a lost flag of the Basic Input/Output System;

with the asserting of the lost flag, the Basic Input/Output System forces the personal electronic device to reset; and

when the asserted lost flag is detected during a Power-On Self-Test of the reset personal electronic device, the Basic Input/Output System prohibits the reset personal electronic device from starting an Operating System of the personal electronic device.

10. The data-theft prevention method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the lost flag is deasserted by the recovery machine when the medium password is retrieved and unlocked by the recovery machine.

11. The data-theft prevention method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the Basic Input/Output System sets the medium password with the asserting of the lost flag.

12. The data-theft prevention method as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

when the internet-communication address of the personal electronic device is detected by the server and the server determines that the internet-communication address has been listed in the lost list, the Basic Input/Output System sets a Basic Input/Output System password of the Basic Input/Output System in accordance with the anti-theft software.

13. The data-theft prevention method as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the Basic Input/Output System further drives a screen of the personal electronic device to show a prohibition notice which contains a message that the use of the personal electronic device is prohibited.

14. The data-theft prevention method as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the server contains the lost list;

the internet-communication address of the personal electronic device is updated into the lost list when the personal electronic device gets lost and the loss of the personal electronic device is reported, and

the server searches the internet for the internet-communication address listed in the lost list to look for the lost personal electronic device.