Pre-Boot Environment Deployment via Address Offset Mode
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pre-boot environments (PBEs) in computer systems are vulnerable to deletion or bypass by malware and disk management utilities due to their visibility to the host OS, leading to potential loss of control and security breaches during the boot sequence.
Innovation Solution
Creating a protected area on the data storage device that is invisible to the host OS, utilizing ATA disk features like Host Protected Area (HPA) and Address Offset Mode (AOM) to securely deploy and manage the PBE, allowing it to gain control without requiring a system reboot and maintaining reliability and portability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the pre-boot environment is installed in an unprotected area visible to the host OS, then the deployment and management of the PBE is easier, but the PBE becomes vulnerable to deletion or bypass by malware and disk management utilities
Solution Approach 1:
The data storage device is segmented into two distinct areas: a protected area (HPA) where the PBE is installed and a unprotected area visible to the host OS. This segmentation isolates the PBE from the host OS and malware, allowing easy deployment in the unprotected area while ensuring security through the protected area's invisibility to standard system utilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The Host Protected Area (HPA) feature acts as an intermediary mechanism between the PBE installation location and the host OS. By utilizing the HPA's ability to hide sectors from the host OS, the system enables the PBE to be securely stored in a protected area while maintaining the ability to deploy and manage it through standard unprotected area procedures.
2Reliability
If the pre-boot environment is installed in a protected area invisible to the host OS, then the security and control of the PBE is improved, but the deployment and management becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the storage device into protected and unprotected areas, allowing the PBE to be installed in the protected area for security while deployment tools can temporarily access the unprotected area for installation and management operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the visibility parameter of the protected area by temporarily disabling HPA protection during deployment and management operations, then re-enabling it to restore security. This parameter change allows standard deployment tools to access the PBE without compromising long-term security.
3Reliability
If the PBE requires a system reboot to gain control, then the security handoff from BIOS to PBE is more reliable, but the boot process time and system availability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The PBE is pre-configured and installed in the protected area during system setup, with all necessary boot parameters and control structures prepared in advance. This preliminary action allows the PBE to take control immediately after BIOS execution without requiring an intermediate reboot, reducing boot time while maintaining reliable control handoff.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method to deploy a pre-boot environment in a computing system is described. A protected area may be created at a first location on a data storage device of the computing system. An operating system may be installed in the protected area at the first location on the data storage device. The pre-boot environment is modified to enable an address offset mode. The pre-boot environment is installed in an unprotected area at a second location on the data storage device.