Method and apparatus to monitor and locate an electronic device using a secured intelligent agent

• US 6,269,392 B1
• Filed: 06/09/1997
• Issued: 07/31/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Absolute Software Corporation
• Original Assignee: Absolute Software Corporation
• Inventors: Woinoski, Timothy S., Cotichini, Christian, Cain, Fraser, Gardner, Philip B., Ashworth, David G., Solymar, Gabor, Livingston, Peter Michael Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US08/871,221
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 709/214, 709/202, 709/229, 709/200, 340/905
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/006 Identification G06F11/2289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/313 using a call-back technique via a telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning

Abstract

A system for locating and monitoring electronic devices utilizing a security system that is secretly and transparently embedded within the software, firmware, or hardware of the electronic device. The security system may be embodied in internal memory devices such as ROM BIOS, ROM, Flash ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, electronic components such as modem, CPU, or hardwired circuits or integrated circuits of a computer. This security system initiates the computer to periodically and conditionally call a host system to provide unique identifying indicia and location information. In one embodiment, the security system calls the host through a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and transmits the indicia in encoded form. In an alternative embodiment, which may be incorporated concurrently with the PSTN application, the security system calls the host system through the Internet and provides the host with indicia encoded within the DNS query sent. The host system is able to identify the calling computer from the indicia and is able to physically locate the computer through either caller identification or by referencing the Internet links which were used to connect the calling computer with the host system.

Claims

1. A method for tracing an electronic device comprising the steps of:

providing an Agent within the electron device, the Agent configured to transmit identifying indicia for the electronic device and/or its device components to a host system at a predetermined schedule without further intervention by the electronic device or user upon activation;

activating the Agent;

at the predetermined schedule, the Agent establishing a communication link between the electronic device and the host system and transmitting the identifying indicia to the host system without intervention by the electronic device or user;

enabling the host system to determine the location of the electronic device based on tracing of the communication link.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the Agent is encoded in one or more forms, including software, firmware and hardware.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the Agent is encoded in one or more device components in the electronic device, including internal non-volatile memory device, communication device, processor, digital signal processor, integrated circuit and hardware circuit.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the Agent is encoded in one or more internal non-volatile memory devices in the electronic device, including ROM, BIOS, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM and Flash ROM.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the communication device is a modem.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the Agent establishes communication with the host system by using a command function which initializes the communication and a call management function which interfaces with the host system.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein the Agent establishes communication with the host system independent of normal operations of the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 3 wherein the Agent is activated upon startup of the electronic device prior to activating the electronic device in respect of its normal system operations.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the Agent is activated by loading into an internal volatile memory and running the Agent prior to activating normal system operations of the electronic device.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the steps of checking whether the Agent is also found on a hard disk within the electronic device and copying the Agent to the hard disk prior to loading and running the Agent.

11. The method of claim 3 wherein a first component of the Agent is provided in a first device component and a second component of the Agent is provided in a second device component.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first component of the Agent includes a secure protocol component of the Agent which communicates with the electronic device'"'"'s operating system.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the Agent immediately establishes the communication link with the host system to transmit the identifying indicia of the electronic device and/or its device components if the secure protocol component fails to establish communication with the operating system.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the second device component includes a hard disk drive.

15. A method as in claim 1 wherein the communication link is a global network.

16. A method as in claim 15 wherein the global network is Internet network.

17. A method as in claim 16 where said step of transmitting the identifying indicia comprises the step of sending a DNS query with said identifying indicia encoded therein.

18. The method as in claim 16 wherein said step of enabling the host system to determine the location of the electronic device comprises the step of conducting a traceroute routine to identify to the host system those Internet communication links connecting the electronic device to the host system.

19. The method as in claim 18 wherein the traceroute routine is conducted upon request from the host system which determined that tracing of the electronic device would be desirable.

20. A method for tracing a computer comprising the steps of:

providing an Agent within the computer, the Agent configured to transmit identifying indicia for the computer or its device components to a host system at a predetermined time without further intervention by the computer or user upon activation;

activating the Agent;

at the predetermined time, the Agent establishing a communication link between the computer and the host system and transmitting the identifying indicia to the host system without intervention by the computer or user;

enabling the host system to determine the location of the computer based on tracing of the communication link.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the Agent is encoded in one or more forms, including software, firmware and hardware.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the Agent is encoded in one or more device components in the computer, including internal non-volatile memory device, communication device, processor, digital signal processor, integrated circuit and hardware circuit.

23. The method of claim 23 wherein said device components further include ROM BIOS, central processing unit and modem.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the Agent is activated independent of the computer'"'"'s operating system.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the Agent is activated prior to loading the operating system.

26. An apparatus for tracing an electronic device comprising:

an agent imbedded within the electronic device, the Agent configured to establish a communication link between the electronic device and a host system and transmit identifying indicia for the electronic device and/or its device components to the host system at a predetermined schedule without further intervention by the electronic device or user upon activation;

means for activating the Agent;

means for enabling the host system to determine the location of the electronic device based on tracing of the communication link.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the Agent is encoded in one or more forms, including software, firmware and hardware.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the Agent is encoded in one or more device components in the electronic device, including internal non-volatile memory device, communication device, processor, digital signal processor, integrated circuit and hardware circuit.

29. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the Agent is encoded in one or more internal non-volatile memory devices in the electronic device, including ROM, BIOS, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM and Flash ROM.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the communication device is a modem.

31. The apparatus of claim 30 wherein the Agent comprises a command function which initializes communication with the host system and a call management function which interfaces with the host system.

32. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the Agent is configured to establish communication with the host system independent of normal operations of the electronic device.

33. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the Agent is configured to be activated upon startup of the electronic device prior to activating the electronic device in respect of its normal system operations.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the Agent is configured to be loaded into an internal volatile memory and executed prior to activating normal system operations of the electronic device.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the Agent is further configured to check whether the Agent is also found on a hard disk within the electronic device and copying the Agent to the hard disk prior to loading and running the Agent.

36. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein a first component of the Agent is provided in a first device component and a second component of the Agent is provided in a second device component.

37. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the first component of the Agent includes a secure protocol component of the Agent which communicates with the electronic device'"'"'s operating system.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the Agent is configured to immediately establish the communication link with the host system to transmit the identifying indicia if the secure protocol component fails to establish communication with the operating system.

39. The apparatus of claim 36 wherein the second internal memory device is a hard disk drive.

40. An apparatus for tracing a computer comprising:

an Agent imbedded within the computer, the Agent configured to establish a communication link between the computer and a host system and transmit identifying indicia for the computer and/or its device components to a host system at a predetermined time without further intervention by the computer or user upon activation;

means for activating the Agent;

means for enabling the host system to determine the location of the computer based on tracing of the communication link.

41. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein the Agent is configured to establish communication with the host system independent of normal operations of the computer.

42. The apparatus of claim 41 wherein the Agent is configured to be activated independent of the computer'"'"'s operating system.

43. The apparatus of claim 42 wherein the Agent is configured to be activated prior to loading the operating system.

44. The apparatus of claim 40 wherein the Agent is encoded in one or more forms, including software, firmware and hardware.

45. The apparatus of claim 44 wherein the Agent is encoded in one or more device components in the electronic device, including internal non-volatile memory device, communication device, processor, digital signal processor, integrated circuit and hardware circuit.

46. An electronic device comprising:

an agent imbedded within the electronic device, the Agent configured to establish a communication link between the electronic device and a host system and transmit identifying indicia for the electronic device and/or its device components to the host system at a predetermined schedule without further intervention by the electronic device or user upon activation;

means for activating the Agent;

means for enabling the host system to determine the location of the electronic device based on tracing the communication link.

47. A computer comprising:

processing means operable with an operating system;

a storage device storing application programs and data;

an input and output interface;

means for communicating with a host computer;

an Agent imbedded within the computer, the Agent configured to establish a communication link between the computer and a host system via said communicating means and transmit identifying indicia for the computer and/or its device components to the host system at a predetermined time without further intervention by the electronic device or user upon activation;

means for activating the Agent;

means for enabling the host system to determine the location of the computer based on tracing of the communication link.