Mechanisms for locking computing devices

• US 9,842,213 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2016
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Dadu, Saurabh, Prakash, Gyan, Poornachandran, Rajesh, Satapathy, Jiphun, Adrangi, Farid
• Primary Examiner(s): LEMMA, SAMSON B
• Application Number:
  US15/218,277
• Publication Number:
  US 20160335438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 726 19, 726 34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/70 Protecting specific internal or peripheral components, in which the protection of a component leads to protection of the entire computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/032 Protect output to user by software means

Abstract

Various systems and methods for locking computing devices are described herein. In an example, a portable device comprises an electro-mechanical lock; and a firmware module coupled to the electro-mechanical lock, the firmware module configured to: receive an unlock code; validate the unlock code; and unlock the electro-mechanical lock when the unlock code is validated. In another example, device for managing BIOS authentication, the device comprising an NFC module, the NFC module comprising an NFC antenna; and a firmware module, wherein the firmware module is configured to: receive an unlock code from an NFC device via the NFC antenna; validate the unlock code; and unlock a BIOS of the device when the unlock code is validated.

Claims

1. A device for managing basic input/output system (BIOS) authentication, the device comprising:

an NFC radio, the NFC radio comprising an NFC antenna; and

a firmware module, wherein the firmware module is configured to;

receive an unlock code from an NFC device via the NFC antenna, the unlock code representing a secured one-time token;

validate the unlock code;

unlock a BIOS of the device when the unlock code is validated, wherein the BIOS was locked as a result of a lockdown mode being activated;

generate a new unlock code; and

transmit the new unlock code to the NFC device to unlock the BIOS during a later unlock process.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the unlock code is a cryptographic key.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the unlock code is an unlock sequence.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the NFC radio is configured to detect a tap of the NFC device, and upon detection of the tap, read an NFC tag incorporated into the NFC device.

5. The device of claim 1, comprising a user application module configured to receive the unlock code and transmit the unlock code to the firmware module for validation.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the lockdown mode was activated upon an expiration of a timer.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the lockdown mode was activated upon failure to connect with a server for a threshold period.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the lockdown mode was activated manually be a user via a web site.

9. A method for providing basic input/output system (BIOS) authentication for a portable device, comprising:

receiving an unlock code at the portable device over a short-range communication protocol from an NFC device;

validating by the portable device, the unlock code, the unlock code representing a secured one-time token; and

unlocking a BIOS of the portable device when the unlock code is validated, wherein the BIOS was locked as a result of a lockdown mode being activated;

generating a new unlock code; and

transmitting the new unlock code to the NFC device to unlock the BIOS during a later unlock process.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the short-range communication protocol comprises near field communication (NFC).

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the unlock code is a cryptographic key.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the unlock code is an unlock sequence.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the unlock code comprises receiving the unlock code from an NFC tag.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving the unlock code comprises receiving the unlock code from an NFC-enabled device.

15. At least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions for providing basic input/output system (BIOS) authentication for a portable device, which when executed by the portable computing device cause the portable computing device to perform the operations of:

receiving an unlock code at the portable device over a short-range communication protocol from an NFC device;

validating by the portable device, the unlock code, the unlock code representing a secured one-time token; and

unlocking a BIOS of the portable device when the unlock code is validated, wherein the BIOS was locked as a result of a lockdown mode being activated;

generating a new unlock code; and

transmitting the new unlock code to the NFC device to unlock the BIOS during a later unlock process.

16. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the short-range communication protocol comprises near field communication (NFC).

17. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the unlock code is a cryptographic key.

18. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the unlock code is an unlock sequence.

19. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions to receive the unlock code comprise instructions to receive the unlock code from an NFC tag.

20. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions to receive the unlock code comprise instructions to receive the unlock code from an NFC-enabled device.