Bios protection using bios update suppression

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12499233-B2
Application number	US-202318123001-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2023
Priority date	Mar 17, 2023
Publication date	Dec 16, 2025
Grant date	Dec 16, 2025

Abstract

Techniques are provided for basic input/output system (BIOS) protection using BIOS update suppression. One method comprises receiving, by an operating system of a processing device comprising a BIOS chip having a first BIOS version, a request to suppress a pending BIOS update; and suppressing an application of the pending BIOS update, in response to the request, wherein a boot process of the processing device uses the first BIOS version. The suppressing may comprise clearing a BIOS staging environment of the at least one BIOS chip and/or resetting a BIOS update flag. A user of the processing device may be notified of the pending BIOS update, in response to detecting that an update of the first BIOS version is pending. The request may be received responsive to the notification.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
receiving, by an operating system of at least one processing device comprising at least one basic input/output system (BIOS) chip having a first BIOS version, a request to suppress a pending BIOS update, wherein the request to suppress the pending BIOS update is received subsequent to a detection of the pending BIOS update; and suppressing an application of the pending BIOS update, in response to the request, wherein a boot process of the at least one processing device uses the first BIOS version; wherein the method is performed by the at least one processing device, wherein the at least one processing device further comprises a processor coupled to a memory.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the suppressing comprises clearing a BIOS staging environment of the at least one BIOS chip, wherein the BIOS staging environment comprises an image of a second BIOS version associated with the pending BIOS update.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the suppressing comprises resetting a BIOS update flag.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising notifying, in response to detecting that an update of the first BIOS version is pending, a user of the at least one processing device of the pending BIOS update.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein, prior to the detecting that the update of the first BIOS version is pending, a BIOS production environment of the at least one BIOS chip comprises a production BIOS version and a BIOS staging environment comprises an image of a second BIOS version.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the detecting that the update of the first BIOS version is pending comprises one or more of detecting that a BIOS update flag is set and detecting that a BIOS staging environment comprises an image of a second BIOS version.

7 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the request is received responsive to the notification.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the request comprises one or more of an affirmative request to suppress the pending BIOS update, a user declining to approve the application of the pending BIOS update and a failure of the user to respond to a notification within a designated time.

9 . An apparatus comprising:
at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory and at least one basic input/output system (BIOS) chip having a first BIOS version; the at least one processing device being configured to implement the following steps: receiving, by an operating system of at least one processing device comprising at least one basic input/output system (BIOS) chip having a first BIOS version, a request to suppress a pending BIOS update, wherein the request to suppress the pending BIOS update is received subsequent to a detection of the pending BIOS update; and suppressing an application of the pending BIOS update, in response to the request, wherein a boot process of the at least one processing device uses the first BIOS version.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the suppressing comprises clearing a BIOS staging environment of the at least one BIOS chip, wherein the BIOS staging environment comprises an image of a second BIOS version associated with the pending BIOS update.

11 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the suppressing comprises resetting a BIOS update flag.

12 . The apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising notifying, in response to detecting that an update of the first BIOS version is pending, a user of the at least one processing device of the pending BIOS update.

13 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the detecting that the update of the first BIOS version is pending comprises one or more of detecting that a BIOS update flag is set and detecting that a BIOS staging environment comprises an image of a second BIOS version.

14 . The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the request is received responsive to the notification.

15 . A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs, wherein the program code when executed by at least one processing device, comprising at least one basic input/output system (BIOS) chip having a first BIOS version, causes the at least one processing device to perform the following steps:
receiving, by an operating system of at least one processing device comprising at least one basic input/output system (BIOS) chip having a first BIOS version, a request to suppress a pending BIOS update, wherein the request to suppress the pending BIOS update is received subsequent to a detection of the pending BIOS update; and suppressing an application of the pending BIOS update, in response to the request, wherein a boot process of the at least one processing device uses the first BIOS version.

16 . The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the suppressing comprises clearing a BIOS staging environment of the at least one BIOS chip, wherein the BIOS staging environment comprises an image of a second BIOS version associated with the pending BIOS update.

17 . The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the suppressing comprises resetting a BIOS update flag.

18 . The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 15 , further comprising notifying, in response to detecting that an update of the first BIOS version is pending, a user of the at least one processing device of the pending BIOS update.

19 . The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the detecting that the update of the first BIOS version is pending comprises one or more of detecting that a BIOS update flag is set and detecting that a BIOS staging environment comprises an image of a second BIOS version.

20 . The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the request is received responsive to the notification.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Shachar Tomer
• Buchman Ophir
• Gehtman Yevgeni

Classifications

• G06F8/65

  Updates (security arrangements therefor G06F21/57) · CPC title

• G06F2221/033

  Test or assess software · CPC title

• G06F21/572 Primary

  Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS] · CPC title

• G06F8/654 Primary

  using techniques specially adapted for alterable solid state memories, e.g. for EEPROM or flash memories · CPC title