Electronic device security and tracking system and method

• US 7,590,837 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Softex LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Softex Incorporated
• Inventors: Dube, Shradha, Rangarajan, Gayathri, Patel, Mehul Ramjibhai, Raikar, Rayesh Kashinath, Dhanani, Kamal Mansukhlal, Kapila, Ranjit, Abraham, Elza, Tucker, Thomas David, Bhansali, Apurva Mahendrakumar, Jain, Manoj Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tolentino, Roderick
• Application Number:
  US10/925,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20050044404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: 726/34, 726/26, 713/194, 713/2, 713/187, 714/36, 711/100, 711/164
• US Class Current: 713/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/572 Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning

Abstract

A system and method for securing and tracking an electronic device. The system includes hardware, software and firmware components that cooperate to allow tracking, disabling, and other interaction with the stolen electronic device. The system includes an application component, non-viewable component and Basic Input/Output Subsystem (BIOS) component that are present on the electronic device. The BIOS component maintains the secured environment of the application and non-viewable components. If only the application component was provided, a simple low level format of the hard disk drive would remove the application and bypass the security features. The system implements an “application and BIOS” based solution to electronic device security.

Claims

1. An electronic device security and tracking system, comprising:

an electronic device operable to support an operating system (OS) environment and operable to communicate with a server system;

an application component to execute within the OS environment,

wherein said application component is configured to cause the electronic device to send, to the server system, a message that contains location information for the electronic device, and

wherein said application component is configured to determine whether the electronic device has been reported stolen, based on information received from the server system;

a non-viewable security component in the electronic device, wherein the non-viewable security component comprises a validator module capable of determining whether the application component is present and whether the application component has been tampered with;

a non-volatile storage device comprising a secure area; and

a basic input/output system (BIOS) security component stored in the secure area, the BIOS security component configured to check integrity of the application component during a boot process for the electronic device;

wherein the BIOS security component is configured to determine whether the non-viewable security component is present and whether the non-viewable security component has been tampered with;

wherein the BIOS security component is configured to automatically cause the electronic device to restore the integrity of the application component, in response to a negative integrity check for the application component;

wherein the BIOS security component is configured to prevent the electronic device from booting to the OS, in response to receiving notification that the electronic device has been reported stolen;

wherein the application component is configured to notify the BIOS security component that the electronic device has been reported stolen, in response to determining that the electronic device has been reported stolen; and

wherein the application component is substantially distinct from the BIOS security component and the validator module.

2. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 1, wherein:

the server system is capable of communicating through a secure medium with the non-viewable security component, and

the non-viewable security component, the application component, the BIOS security component, and the server system are operably arranged to provide security and tracking for the electronic device.

3. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 1, wherein the server system is capable of communicating through a secure medium with the BIOS secunty component.

4. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 1, further comprising a hard disk drive;

wherein the hard disk drive comprises a hidden partition containing a backup copy of the application component;

wherein the hidden partition is inaccessible to the OS environment in the electronic device; and

wherein the BIOS security component is configured to automatically cause the electronic device to reinstall the application component from the hidden partition of the hard disk drive, in response to the negative integrity check for the application component.

5. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 1, wherein the application component comprises:

a plurality of startup files;

an application file connected to the startup files, said application file capable of communicating with the startup files; and

a dynamic link library connected to the application file.

6. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 1, further comprising a recovery media receptacle responsive to the BIOS security component, said receptacle capable of holding a recovery medium.

7. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 1, wherein the application component communicates with the non-viewable security component through a communications area.

8. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 1, wherein the application component is located on a hard disk drive.

9. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 8, wherein the BIOS security component is located external to the hard disk drive.

10. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 1, wherein the non-viewable security component, the application component, the BIOS security component, and the server system are operably arranged to provide for locating and disabling the electronic device.

11. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 1, wherein the non-viewable security component, the application component, the BIOS security component, and the server system are operably arranged to provide for tracking the electronic device until the electronic device is disabled.

12. An electronic device security and tracking system, comprising:

an electronic device operable to support an operating system (OS) environment and operable to communicate with a server system;

an application component to execute within the OS environment,

wherein said application component is configured to cause the electronic device to send, to the server system, a message that contains location information for the electronic device, and

wherein said application component is capable of determining whether the electronic device has been reported stolen, based on information received from the server system;

a non-viewable security component in the electronic device, wherein the non-viewable security component comprises a validator module configured to determine whether the application component is present and whether the application component has been tampered with;

a non-volatile storage device comprising a secure area; and

a basic input/output system (BIOS) security component stored in the secure area, the BIOS security component configured to check integrity of the application component during a boot process for the electronic device;

wherein the BIOS security component is configured to determine whether the non-viewable security component is present and whether the non-viewable security component has been tampered with

wherein the BIOS security component is configured to automatically cause the electronic device to restore the integrity of the application component, in response to a negative integrity check for the application component;

wherein the electronic device security and tracking system allows a user to select whether the electronic device is to be disabled after the electronic device has been reported stolen;

wherein the BIOS security component is operable to prevent the electronic device from booting to the OS, in response to receiving notification that the electronic device is to be disabled; and

wherein the application component is substantially distinct from the BIOS security component and the validator module.

13. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 12, wherein the server system is capable of communicating through a secure medium with the non-viewable security component.

14. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 12, wherein the server system is capable of communicating through a secure medium with the BIOS security component.

15. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 12, further comprising a hard disk drive

wherein the hard disk drive comprises a host protected area to store a backup copy of the application component;

wherein the host protected area is inaccessible to the OS environment in the electronic device; and

wherein the BIOS security component is configured to cause the electronic device to respond to the negative integrity check for the application component by using the backup copy of the application component to restore the integrity of the application component.

16. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 12, further comprising a recovery media receptacle responsive to the BIOS security component, said receptacle capable of holding a recovery medium.

17. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 12, wherein the application component communicates with the non-viewable security component through a communications area.

18. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 12, wherein the application component is located on a hard disk drive.

19. The electronic device security and tracking system of claim 18, wherein the BIOS security component is located external to the hard disk drive.

20. A computer system, comprising:

an electronic device operable to support an operating system (OS) environment and operable to communicate with a server system, said electronic device comprising;

a central processing unit;

a memory array coupled to said central processing unit;

an expansion bus coupled to said central processing unit and said memory array, said expansion bus capable of interfacing peripheral devices;

a basic input/output system (BIOS) memory coupled to said expansion bus, comprising a BIOS security component;

a non-viewable security component in the electronic device; and

a hard disk drive coupled to said expansion bus, comprising;

an application component to execute within the OS environment, wherein said application component is configured to cause the electronic device to send, to the server system, a message that contains location information for the electronic device, and wherein said application component is capable of determining whether the electronic device has been reported stolen, based on information received from the server system;

wherein the BIOS security component is configured to check integrity of the application component during a boot process for the electronic device;

wherein the BIOS security component is configured to automatically cause the electronic device to restore the integrity of the application component, in response to a negative integrity check for the application component;

wherein the non-viewable security component comprises a validator module capable of determining whether the application component is present and whether the application component has been tampered with;

wherein the BIOS security component is configured to determine whether the non-viewable security component is present and whether the non-viewable security component has been tampered with; and

wherein the application component is substantially distinct from the BIOS security component and the validator module.

21. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the server system is capable of communicating through a secure medium with the non-viewable security component via the hard disk drive.

22. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the server system is capable of communicating through a secure medium with the BIOS security component via the hard disk drive.

23. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the hard disk drive comprises a hidden partition containing a backup copy of the application component;

wherein the hidden partition is inaccessible to the OS environment in the electronic device; and

wherein the BIOS security component is configured to automatically cause the electronic device to reinstall the application component from the hidden partition of the hard disk drive, in response to the negative integrity check for the application component.

24. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the BIOS memory is from the group consisting essentially of read-only-memory, electronically erasable read-only-memory, and Flash read-only-memory.

25. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the application component comprises:

a plurality of startup files;

an application file connected to the startup files, said application file capable of communicating with the startup files; and

a dynamic link library connected to the application file.

26. The computer system of claim 20, further comprising a recovery media receptacle responsive to the BIOS security component, said receptacle capable of holding a recovery medium.

27. The computer system of claim 20, wherein the application component communicates with the non-viewable security component through a communications area.