Forcepoint Federal LLC

Raytheon Company

Forcepoint LLC

Raytheon Cyber Products, LLC

Matthew D Neumann

Michael W Smith

Michael Simms

Irby J Thompson, Jr

A method includes detecting a triggering event at a hypervisor, where the hypervisor is executed by a computing node. The method also includes capturing, from a memory device of the computing node using the hypervisor, one or more images of a basic input/output system (BIOS) of the computing node and/or a firmware of the computing node. The method further includes analyzing the one or more images to detect a problem with the computing node and taking at least one action in response to detecting the problem with the computing node. The one or more images are obtained by the hypervisor directly from the memory device.

Technique for hypervisor-based firmware acquisition and analysis

A method includes receiving a request at a first hypervisor from an application within a virtual machine. The virtual machine is executed within a virtualization layer supported by a second hypervisor, and the virtual machine and the hypervisors are executed by a computing node. The method also includes interrupting execution of the application and determining an authorization key using hashing operations performed by the first hypervisor based on measurements associated with the computing node and data associated with the first hypervisor. The method further includes storing the authorization key and resuming execution of the application. In addition, the method could include performing the receiving, interrupting, determining, storing, and resuming steps at each of multiple computing nodes in a computing cloud, where each computing node executes first and second hypervisors. The first hypervisors in the computing nodes can bind the virtual machine to the computing cloud.

Hypervisor-based binding of data to cloud environment for improved security

Embodiments of a method and apparatus for reducing or eliminating unauthorized access to secured files are generally described herein. In some embodiments, the method includes establishing a connection between a communication portion of the secured file and an authentication agent. The method may include requesting a decryption key from the authentication agent for accessing the secured file on a first computing device. The decryption key may be based on device information retrieved from devices in an authenticated environment of devices. The authenticated environment may be an environment in which the secured the was encrypted. The method may include destroying the secured file subsequent to receiving a message indicating that the requesting has failed.

Methods and apparatuses for reducing or eliminating unauthorized access to tethered data

Embodiments of a method and apparatus for securing and accessing files are generally described herein. In some embodiments, the method includes adding a communication portion to the file. The communication portion may communicate with an authentication agent on the first computing device. The method may include encrypting data of the file using a first key received through the communication portion from the authentication agent. The first key may be generated based on identification information of a second computing device in a trusted network of computing devices with the first computing device. The method may include saving the file to a remote file storage location.

Methods and apparatuses for securing tethered data

A method includes receiving a request at a hypervisor from an application, where the application and the hypervisor are executed by a computing node. The request identifies a memory location in a memory device of the computing node, and the memory location is associated with a virtual machine executed by the computing node. The method also includes obtaining a snapshot of contents of the memory location in the memory device, where the snapshot is obtained by the hypervisor directly from the memory device. The method further includes providing the snapshot to the application. The application could form part of a second virtual machine that is executed by the computing node.

Technique for verifying virtual machine integrity using hypervisor-based memory snapshots

Embodiments of methods and network devices for securing data within a network are generally described herein. One such method includes a key aggregation server receiving a request for an encryption key to secure the data. The server may query a plurality of network devices for a respective key from each queried network device. The server may then receive the respective key from each of the plurality of network devices and select a key element from each of the plurality of keys. An encryption key may be constructed from the key elements and transmitted to a client.

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Rowlett, TX, United States of America

Matthew D Neumann