Trustworthy indication of software integrity
First Claim
1. A computer-implemented method for providing a trustworthy indication of the integrity of a computer program, the computer-implemented method comprising executing instructions in a computing device to perform the operations of:
- in response to receiving a request to execute the computer program, causing a hardware trust evaluation device located inside the computing device to determine trustworthiness of the computer program;
in response to the hardware trust evaluation device determining that the computer program is trustworthy, causing a trust indicator that is integrated into a circuit board containing the trust evaluation device and is visible on an external surface of the computing device to provide a positive indication of the trustworthiness of the computer program, the trust indicator comprising one or more lights;
in response to the hardware trust evaluation device determining that the computer program is not trustworthy, causing the trust indicator to provide a negative indication of the trustworthiness of the computer program and restricting functionality provided by the computer program;
receiving a selection from a list of computer programs currently executing; and
in response to receiving the selection, providing an indication of trustworthiness of the selected computer program by way of the trust indicator.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Computing devices are disclosed that include functionality for providing a trustworthy indication of software integrity. The computing devices include a hardware trust evaluation device capable of determining the trustworthiness of computer programs executing on the device. At least one trust indicator is also connected to the hardware trust evaluation device for providing an external indication of the trustworthiness of a computer program. If the hardware trust evaluation device determines that a program is trustworthy, the trust evaluation device causes the trust indicator to provide a positive indication of the trustworthiness of the computer program to a user of the computing device. If the hardware trust evaluation device determines that a program is not trustworthy, the trust evaluation device causes the trust indicator to provide a negative indication of the trustworthiness of the computer program. Certain functionality might also be restricted in response to determining that a program is not trustworthy.
27 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A computer-implemented method for providing a trustworthy indication of the integrity of a computer program, the computer-implemented method comprising executing instructions in a computing device to perform the operations of:
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in response to receiving a request to execute the computer program, causing a hardware trust evaluation device located inside the computing device to determine trustworthiness of the computer program; in response to the hardware trust evaluation device determining that the computer program is trustworthy, causing a trust indicator that is integrated into a circuit board containing the trust evaluation device and is visible on an external surface of the computing device to provide a positive indication of the trustworthiness of the computer program, the trust indicator comprising one or more lights; in response to the hardware trust evaluation device determining that the computer program is not trustworthy, causing the trust indicator to provide a negative indication of the trustworthiness of the computer program and restricting functionality provided by the computer program; receiving a selection from a list of computer programs currently executing; and in response to receiving the selection, providing an indication of trustworthiness of the selected computer program by way of the trust indicator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereupon which, when executed by a computing device having a hardware trust evaluation device integrated therein and a trust indicator connected directly to the hardware trust evaluation device, cause the computing device to:
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determine, by way of the hardware trust evaluation device, that a computer program executing on the computing device is trustworthy based on a definition of trustworthiness provided by a user of the computing device, wherein the definition specifies a policy for the trust indicator to provide a positive indication of trust and a negative indication of trust; and in response to the hardware trust evaluation device determining that the computer program is trustworthy, provide a positive indication of the trustworthiness of the computer program by way of the trust indicator, wherein the trust indicator comprises a display that is connected directly to the trust evaluation device and is visible on an external surface of the computing device. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computing device configured to provide a trustworthy indication of the integrity of a computer program, the computing device comprising:
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at least one processor configured to execute the computer program; a memory connected to the at least one processor storing the computer program; at least one trust indicator comprising a display that is visible on an external surface of a case and configured to identify the computer program; and a hardware trust evaluation module connected to the at least one processor and having the at least one trust indicator connected directly thereto, the at least one processor, memory, and the hardware trust evaluation module being contained within the case, the hardware trust evaluation module being configured to evaluate trustworthiness of the computer program based on a definition of trustworthiness provided by a user of the computing device that specifies a policy for the trust indicator to provide a positive indication of trust and a negative indication of trust and to provide a negative indication of the trustworthiness of the computer program by way of the trust indicator in response to determining that the computer program is not trustworthy. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification