BIOS Capsule Validation for Secure User Function Updates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing BIOS update systems face challenges in securely and easily incorporating user-specific services and extending BIOS functions, particularly due to difficulties in managing signatures and storage of BIOS programs.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that involves a server apparatus encapsulating a user-specific BIOS program with a server manager signature, confirming validity through signatures, and securely storing the program in a BIOS storage unit accessible only via the BIOS, preventing unauthorized execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the BIOS storage capacity is increased to store extended functions and user services, then the BIOS functionality and adaptability are improved, but the security risk and complexity of managing BIOS updates increase
Solution Approach 1:
The BIOS storage is segmented into multiple regions: traditional BIOS storage and SSD-based extended function storage. This segmentation allows the system to expand BIOS functionality by storing additional programs and data in the SSD while maintaining the original BIOS security boundaries intact. The capsule file mechanism further segments the update process into validated packages that are securely transferred and installed.
Solution Approach 2:
The capsule file serves as an intermediary mechanism between the external update source and the BIOS storage system. It encapsulates the extended function programs with authentication data, acting as a secure container that mediates the transfer and installation process. This intermediary structure ensures that only authenticated and validated programs can be installed, maintaining security while enabling functionality extension.
2Ease of operation
If user-specific services are incorporated into the BIOS, then the ease of operation and customization are improved, but the difficulty of managing signatures and validating programs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule file mechanism provides a universal solution for incorporating various user-specific services into the BIOS. Whether the service is from a manufacturer, a service provider, or a user, the same capsule file structure and validation process applies. This multi-functional approach simplifies the incorporation process while maintaining consistent security management across different types of BIOS extensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The signature validation and authentication processes are performed in advance during the capsule file creation and transfer phase, before the actual BIOS update installation. This preliminary action ensures that security validation is completed beforehand, reducing the complexity of runtime validation and simplifying the installation process for user services.
3Quantity of substance
If the BIOS program is stored in SSD instead of traditional BIOS memory, then the storage capacity is improved, but the risk of unauthorized access and the difficulty of preventing OS access increases
Solution Approach 1:
The SSD is divided into distinct regions with different access characteristics: the traditional BIOS memory region that maintains its secure, OS-inaccessible properties, and the SSD-based extended function region that provides additional storage. This local quality differentiation allows the system to leverage the high capacity of SSD while preserving the security characteristics of traditional BIOS storage for critical system functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements preliminary protective measures by maintaining the traditional BIOS memory as a secure boundary that the operating system cannot access directly. This preliminary anti-action prevents the OS from accessing or modifying BIOS programs stored in the secure region, while still allowing extended functions to be stored in the SSD under controlled conditions through the capsule file mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
An information processing system includes a server that assigns a signature of a server manager to a capsule file encapsulating a program of an extended function of a BIOS and provides the capsule file to an information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus includes a BIOS storage and a BIOS processor that extracts the program from the capsule file to store the program in the BIOS storage in a case in which validity of the capsule file acquired from the server is confirmed based on the signature, permits execution of the program in a case in which validity of the program is confirmed based on a signature certificate of a user and a signature of the user, and prohibits execution of the program in a case in which the validity of the program is not confirmed.