SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUTOMATIC GENERATION AND RETRIEVAL OF AN INFORMATION HANDLING SYSTEM PASSWORD

• US 20160048663A1
• Filed: 08/18/2014
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Gillespie, Kurt D., Martinez, Ricardo L., Gopal, Janardan Rajagopal Pradeep, Chan, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 10,296,730 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, an information handling system may include a processor and a basic input/output system (BIOS). The BIOS may comprise a program of instructions executable by the processor and configured to cause the processor to initialize one or more information handling resources of the information handling system. The BIOS may further be configured to, during a boot of an information handling system, and in response to a request to set a password associated with the information handling system, generate a random password, securely store the random password in a memory such that the password may be retrieved during a subsequent boot of the information handling system by a user physically present at the information handling system, and set the random password as the password associated with the information handling system.

Claims

1. An information handling system comprising:

a processor; and

a basic input/output system (BIOS) comprising a program of instructions executable by the processor and configured to cause the processor to initialize one or more information handling resources of the information handling system, wherein the BIOS is further configured to, during a boot of an information handling system, and in response to a request to set a password associated with the information handling system;

generate a random password;

securely store the random password in a memory such that the password may be retrieved during execution of the BIOS on a subsequent boot of the information handling system prior to initialization of an operating system by a user physically present at the information handling system; and

set the random password as the password associated with the information handling system.

2. The information handling system of claim 1, wherein the password associated with the information handling system is an administrator password of the information handling system.

3. The information handling system of claim 1, further comprising a network interface communicatively coupled to the processor wherein the request to set the password is received via the network interface.

4. The information handling system of claim 1, the BIOS further configured to cause the information handling system to reboot after a receipt of the request to set the password and prior to generation of the random password.

5. The information handling system of claim 1, further comprising a cryptoprocessor communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the BIOS is configured to securely store the random password by storing the random password in a non-volatile memory of the cryptoprocessor.

6. The information handling system of claim 1, further comprising a display device, wherein the BIOS is further configured to, during a boot of the information handling system occurring after the random password has been set as the password associated with the information handling system, and in response to a request from a user physically present at the information handling system to retrieve the password, display the password to the display device.

7. A method comprising:

during a boot of an information handling system, and in response to a request to set a password associated with the information handling system;

generating a random password;

securely storing the random password in a memory such that the password may be retrieved during execution of the BIOS on a subsequent boot of the information handling system prior to initialization of an operating system by a user physically present at the information handling system; and

setting the random password as the password associated with the information handling system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the password associated with the information handling system is an administrator password of the information handling system.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the request to set the password is received via a network interface of the information handling system.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising causing the information handling system to reboot after a receipt of the request to set the password and prior to generation of the random password.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein securely storing the random password comprises storing the random password in a non-volatile memory of a cryptoprocessor of the information handling system.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising, during a boot of the information handling system occurring after the random password has been set as the password associated with the information handling system, and in response to a request from a user physically present at the information handling system to retrieve the password, displaying the password to a display device of the information handling system.

13. An article of manufacture comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium; and

computer-executable instructions carried on the computer readable medium, the instructions readable by a processor, the instructions, when read and executed, for causing the processor to, during a boot of an information handling system, and in response to a request to set a password associated with the information handling system;

generate a random password;

securely store the random password in a memory such that the password may be retrieved during execution of the BIOS on a subsequent boot of the information handling system prior to initialization of an operating system by a user physically present at the information handling system; and

set the random password as the password associated with the information handling system.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the password associated with the information handling system is an administrator password of the information handling system.

15. The article of claim 13, wherein the request to set the password is received via a network interface of the information handling system.

16. The article of claim 13, the instructions for further causing the information handling system to reboot after a receipt of the request to set the password and prior to generation of the random password.

17. The article of claim 13, wherein securely storing the random password comprises storing the random password in a non-volatile memory of a cryptoprocessor of the information handling system.

18. The article of claim 13, the instructions for further causing, during a boot of the information handling system occurring after the random password has been set as the password associated with the information handling system, and in response to a request from a user physically present at the information handling system to retrieve the password, the password to be displayed to a display device of the information handling system.