Intel Corporation

Mark Albrecht

Bruce A Clark

Son H Lam

Steve J Brown

Steve Rodden

Frank L Wildgrube

Rick Feightner

Todd Whitaker

Pat Rodden

Bob Eldridge

Bun Tan

Larry Altendorf

Mike Midghall

Kyle Fox

Carma Caughlan

Rob Armstrong

Suzanne Taylor

Wei-Tong Sun

Greg Lento

Dave Heasty

Bryon S Nevis

Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a method of updating BIOS using an externally provided module may include the following. In this context, the term externally provided means that the module resides in a device other than that used to hold the firmware code, such as a magnetic storage device, typically with a lower cost per bit of information. In this embodiment, the BIOS, while in control of or being executed by a processor, applies a one-way hash process to a portion of the externally provided module. The computed hash of the module portion is compared with the pre-computed hash value included with the BIOS code. The external module is then invoked as a subprogram if and only if the hash values compare as equal. The module, while executing, may then validate the remainder of the update using more sophisticated cryptographic techniques and/or perform the update directly.

Secure method of updating bios by using a simply authenticated external module to further validate new firmware code

An electronic signature is generated in a predetermined manner and attached to a transferable unit of write data, to facilitate authenticating the write data before allowing the write data to be written into a protected non-volatile storage. The write data is authenticated using a collection of secured authentication functions. Additionally, the actual writing of the authenticated write data into the protected non-volatile storage is performed by a secured copy utility.

Methods and apparatus for preventing unauthorized write access to a protected non-volatile storage

Server appliance bezel

A system and method for protecting a non-volatile storage element of an electronic system from an unauthorized write access is described. The method features the operational steps of entering a mode of operation in which an authentication process is performed, placing a security circuit of the electronic system in a first predetermined state of operation before leaving the mode of operation, checking the current state of the security circuit, and halting further operations of the electronic system if the security circuit exists in a state of operation other than the first predetermined state of operation.

Method and apparatus for increasing security against unauthorized write access to a protected memory

Methods and apparatus for preventing unauthorized write access to a

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Hillsboro, OR, United States of America

Mark Albrecht