Pre-OS Security Agent for Boot Integrity and Startup Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current security measures for computer systems are inadequate in protecting against malware that targets the operating system, particularly rootkits and bootkits, as they often rely on compromised OS drivers and services, leading to inefficiencies and potential system startup delays.
Innovation Solution
A pre-OS security agent operates independently of the operating system, performing malware scanning and removal using encrypted information from a secure buffer, thereby addressing threats before the OS starts and minimizing system startup time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pre-OS security agent performs comprehensive malware scanning during system startup, then security protection capability is improved, but system startup time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-OS security agent performs malware scanning and security checks before the operating system fully starts up. By conducting security validation in advance during the boot process, the system ensures protection capability is established prior to OS operation, preventing malware from compromising system integrity while minimizing impact on user-perceived startup time.
Solution Approach 2:
The security scanning process is divided into multiple phases: pre-OS scanning of critical system files and boot sector, followed by post-OS scanning of user applications. This segmentation allows critical security checks to occur before OS startup without blocking the entire boot process, while less critical scanning occurs after the system becomes operational.
2Ease of operation
If security application runs on top of operating system using OS drivers and services, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to compromised system components
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of running the security application on top of the operating system using OS drivers and services, the security agent is inverted to run in pre-OS firmware environment before the operating system loads. This allows the security agent to validate and protect OS components before they can be compromised by malware, establishing a trusted security foundation independent of potentially compromised OS components.
Solution Approach 2:
The pre-OS security agent acts as an intermediary layer between the hardware firmware and the operating system. It provides a trusted execution environment that can verify the integrity of OS components before they are loaded and executed, preventing malware from establishing control through compromised drivers or services.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If malware modifies kernel or boot process to obfuscate existence, then malware persistence is improved, but detectability worsens for application-level security programs
Solution Approach 1:
The pre-OS security agent performs preliminary validation of the boot process and kernel components before malware can modify them. By checking the integrity of boot sector, bootloader, and kernel files before they are executed, the system prevents malware from successfully establishing persistence through undetected modifications to critical system components.
Solution Approach 2:
Security validation of boot components is performed in advance during the pre-OS phase, before the operating system and potentially malicious software have a chance to modify or obfuscate their presence. This preliminary security check establishes a trusted baseline for system integrity that malware cannot compromise.
Data Source
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AI summary
A pre-OS security agent runs in an environment independent of the operating system (OS) but interfaced with the file system and able to exchange information with a security application running over the OS. Prior to the start-up of the OS, an indication of a state or condition is obtained relating to a risk of an inability of the security application to function normally, or to a change in the computer system affecting the start-up of the OS. Based on the indication, a set of one or more actions are determined for resolving the state or condition. The pre-OS security agent executes the set of one or more actions in response to the indication.