INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND METHOD AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR VERIFICATION

• US 20100268967A1
• Filed: 04/08/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: SENDA, Shigeya
• Granted Patent: US 8,438,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a main memory unit storing while on-power; an auxiliary storage unit functionable even off-power; a control unit performing hibernation of generating operating-state data indicating a state when the power is lost, storing the data in the auxiliary storage unit, and, when restored, reading the data from the auxiliary storage unit; and a security chip that including a configuration register, encrypts data, and storing the data in the auxiliary storage unit. The control unit includes: a first registration unit performing, when the data is generated, calculation based thereon to obtain a calculated value; a second registration unit performing, when the data is read from the auxiliary storage unit at the hibernation, calculation based on the data to obtain a calculated value to write it into the configuration register; and a verification unit performing verification at boot-up from the hibernation based on the value written.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a main memory unit that retains contents stored therein only while the main memory unit is receiving electric power supply;

an auxiliary storage unit that retains contents stored therein even after the electric power supply is lost;

a control unit that performs hibernation of

generating operating-state data that indicates an operating state of the information processing apparatus at a time when the electric power supply is lost,

storing the operating-state data in the auxiliary storage unit, and,

when electric power supply is restored, reading the operating-state data from the auxiliary storage unit to restore the information processing apparatus to the operating state; and

a security chip that

includes a configuration register,

encrypts data by using a value written into the configuration register, and

stores the data in the auxiliary storage unit, wherein

the control unit includes;

a first registration unit that performs, when the control unit generates the operating-state data, calculation based on the operating-state data to obtain a calculated value and writes the value to the configuration register;

a second registration unit that performs, when the control unit reads the operating-state data from the auxiliary storage unit at the hibernation, calculation based on the operating-state data to obtain a calculated value and writes the value to the configuration register; and

a verification unit that performs verification at boot-up from the hibernation by determining whether to permit decryption of the data encrypted by the security chip based on the value written into the configuration register by the second registration unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the security chip

generates a blob that contains the value written into the configuration register and the data, and

stores the blob in the auxiliary storage unit, and

the verification unit

determines that access to the data is permitted and decryption of the blob is permitted, if the value written into the configuration register by the second registration unit match the value contained in the blob.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the security chip includes a plurality of configuration registers that

respectively correspond to software programs that form a chain of trust,

generates a blob that contains a combination of values written into the configuration registers and the data, and

stores the blob in the auxiliary storage unit, and

the control unit includes:

a third registration unit that

performs calculation for each of the software programs so as to obtain calculated values, and

writes each of the values into a corresponding one of the configuration registers; and

a fourth registration unit that

performs, when the software programs are started up in response to the electric power supply, calculation for each of the software programs to obtain calculated values, and

writes each of the values into a corresponding one of the configuration registers, and

the verification unit

determines that access to the data is permitted and decryption of the blob is permitted, if all the values written into the configuration registers by the fourth registration unit match the values contained in the blob.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the security chip

generates a blob that contains

a first combination of the values, each of which has been written into the corresponding one of the configuration registers, and

a second value written into at least one of the plurality of configuration registers when the operating-state data is generated, and

stores the blob in the auxiliary storage unit, and

the verification unit determines that access to the data is permitted and decryption of the blob is permitted when at least one of two conditions is satisfied, wherein

one condition is that all the values written into the configuration registers by the fourth registration unit match the first combination of values contained in the blob and

another condition is that the value written into the configuration register by the second registration unit matches the second value contained in the blob.

5. A verification method that is performed in an information processing apparatus that includes

a main memory unit that retains contents stored therein only while the main memory unit is receiving electric power supply;

an auxiliary storage unit that retains contents stored therein even after the electric power supply is lost;

a control unit that performs hibernation of

generating operating-state data that indicates an operating state of the information processing apparatus at a time when the electric power supply is lost,

storing the operating-state data in the auxiliary storage unit, and

when electric power supply is restored, reading the operating-state data from the auxiliary storage unit to restore the information processing apparatus into the operating state; and

a security chip that

includes a configuration register,

encrypts data by using a value written into the configuration register, and

stores the data in the auxiliary storage unit, the verification method comprising;

first registering, when the control unit generates the operating-state data, a calculated value based on the operating-state data to write the calculated value into the configuration register;

second registering, when the control unit reads the operating-state data from the auxiliary storage unit at the hibernation, a calculated value based on the operating-state data to write the calculated value into the configuration register; and

verifying, which is performed by the control unit, a boot-up from the hibernation by determining whether to permit decryption of the data encrypted by the security chip based on the value written into the configuration register at the second registering.

6. A computer program product comprising a computer-usable medium having computer-readable program codes embodied in the medium for processing information in an information processing apparatus that includes

a main memory unit that retains contents stored therein only while the main memory unit is receiving electric power supply;

an auxiliary storage unit that retains contents stored therein even after the electric power supply is lost;

a control unit that performs hibernation of

generating operating-state data that indicates an operating state of the information processing apparatus at a time when the electric power supply is lost,

storing the operating-state data in the auxiliary storage unit, and

when electric power supply is restored, reading the operating-state data from the auxiliary storage unit to restore the information processing apparatus into the operating state; and

a security chip that

includes a configuration register,

encrypts data by using a value written into the configuration register, and

stores the data in the auxiliary storage unit, the program codes when executed causing a computer to execute;

first registering, when the control unit generates the operating-state data, a calculated value based on the operating-state data to write the calculated value into the configuration register;

second registering, when the control unit reads the operating-state data from the auxiliary storage unit at the hibernation, a calculated value based on the operating-state data to write the calculated value into the configuration register; and

verifying, which is performed by the control unit, a boot-up from the hibernation by determining whether to permit decryption of the data encrypted by the security chip based on the value written into the configuration register at the second registering.