System and method for enhanced security and update of smm to prevent malware injection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017242598-A1
Application number	US-201615048768-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 19, 2016
Priority date	Feb 19, 2016
Publication date	Aug 24, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An information handling system for enhanced system management mode (SMM) security may include a processor, system management random access memory (SMRAM), persistent memory, and basic input/output (BIOS) memory. The system may include instructions that, when loaded and executed by the processor, cause the processor to initialize the memory, initialize the BIOS memory, initialize the persistent memory, and check whether the system has previously executed a power-on self test (POST) routine. Based on a determination that the system has not previously executed a POST routine, the processor may unzip the SMM Code located in the BIOS memory store the unzipped SMM Code in the persistent memory and in the SMRAM. Based on a determination that the system has previously executed a POST routine, the processor may create a duplicate copy of the SMM Code from the persistent memory and store the duplicate copy in the SMRAM. The processor may further initialize the SMRAM, lock the SMRAM, and hide the SMM Code stored in the persistent memory.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An information handling system for enhanced system management mode (SMM) security, comprising:
a processor; a memory, including a system management random access memory (SMRAM) included in the memory and a persistent memory; a basic input/output (BIOS) memory; instructions included in the memory, the instructions, when loaded and executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
initialize the memory;
initialize the BIOS memory;
initialize the persistent memory;
check whether the system has previously executed a power-on self test (POST) routine;
based on a determination that the system has not previously executed a POST routine:
unzip a SMM Code located in the BIOS memory; and
store the unzipped SMM Code in the persistent memory and in the SMRAM;

based on a determination that the system has previously executed a POST routine:
create a duplicate copy of the SMM Code from the persistent memory; and
store the duplicate copy in the SMRAM;

initialize the SMRAM;
lock the SMRAM; and
hide the SMM Code stored in the persistent memory.

2 . The system of claim 1 , further including instructions to cause the processor to:
receive a request to update the SMM Code; validate the request to update; and based on a determination that the request to update is not valid:
unzip the SMM Code located in the BIOS memory;
replace the SMM Code stored in the persistent memory and in the SMRAM with the unzipped SMM Code;
lock the SMRAM; and
hide the unzipped SMM Code stored in the persistent memory.

3 . The system of claim 1 , further including instructions to cause the processor to:
receive a request to update the SMM Code; validate the request to update; and based on a determination that the request to update is not valid:
create a duplicate copy of the SMM Code stored in the persistent memory;
store the duplicate copy in the SMRAM;
lock the SMRAM; and
hide the SMM Code stored in the persistent memory.

4 . The system of claim 1 , further including instructions to cause the processor to:
receive a request to update the SMM Code; validate the request to update; and based on a determination that the request to update is valid:
create a updated copy of SMM Code based on the request to update;
store the updated copy in the persistent memory and in the SMRAM;
lock the SMRAM; and
hide the updated copy stored in the persistent memory.

5 . The system of claim 4 , further including instructions to cause the processor to update the SMM Code in BIOS memory based on the request to update.

6 . An article of manufacture, comprising:
a computer readable medium; computer-executable instructions carried on the computer readable medium, the instructions readable by a processor, the instructions, when read and executed, for causing the processor to:
initialize a memory;
initialize a BIOS memory;
initialize a persistent memory;
initialize a SMRAM;
check whether the system has previously executed a power-on self test (POST) routine;
based on a determination that the system has not previously executed a POST routine:
unzip a SMM Code located in the BIOS memory;
store the unzipped SMM Code in the persistent memory and in the SMRAM;

based on a determination that the system has previously executed a POST routine:
create a duplicate copy of the SMM Code stored in the persistent memory;
store the duplicate copy in the SMRAM;

lock the SMRAM; and
hide the SMM Code stored in the persistent memory.

7 . The article of manufacture of claim 6 , wherein the computer-executable instructions are further configured to:
receive a request to update the SMM Code; validate the request to update; based on a determination that the request to update is not valid:
unzip the SMM Code located in the BIOS memory;
replace the SMM Code stored in the persistent memory and in the SMRAM with the unzipped SMM Code;
lock the SMRAM; and
hide the unzipped SMM Code stored in the persistent memory.

8 . The article of manufacture of claim 7 , wherein the computer-executable instructions are further configured to:
receive a request to update the SMM Code; validate the request to update; based on a determination that the request to update is not valid:
create a duplicate copy of the SMM Code stored in the persistent memory;
store the duplicate copy in the SMRAM;
lock the SMRAM; and
hide the initial copy stored in the persistent memory.

9 . The article of manufacture of claim 7 , wherein the computer-executable instructions are further configured to:
receive a request to update the SMM Code; validate the request to update; based on a determination that the request to update is valid:
create an updated copy based on the request to update;
store the updated copy in the persistent memory and in the SMRAM;
lock the SMRAM; and
hide the updated copy stored in the persistent memory.

10 . The article of manufacture of claim 11 , wherein the computer-executable instructions are further configured to update the SMM Code in the BIOS memory based on the request to update.

11 . A method for providing enhanced system management mode (SMM) security, comprising:
triggering a BIOS power-on self test (POST) routine; detecting whether the system has previously executed a POST routine; creating a duplicate copy of a SMM Code stored in persistent memory, storing the duplicate copy in an SMRAM; initializing the SMRAM; locking the SMRAM; and hiding a SMM Code stored in persistent memory.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of detecting whether the system has previously executed a POST routine further comprises:
based on a determination that the system has not previously executed a POST routine:
creating an initial copy of the SMM Code from the BIOS memory;
storing the initial copy in the persistent memory; and
hiding the initial copy stored in the persistent memory.

13 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving a request to update the SMM Code; validating the request to update; and based on a determination that the request to update is not valid:
creating a replacement copy of SMM Code from the BIOS memory;
storing the replacement copy in the persistent memory and SMRAM;
locking the SMRAM; and
hiding the replacement copy stored in persistent memory.

14 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving a request to update the SMM Code; validating the request to update; and based on a determination that the request to update is not valid:
creating a duplicate copy of the SMM Code stored in persistent memory;
storing the duplicate copy in the SMRAM;
locking the SMRAM; and
hiding the SMM Code stored in persistent memory.

15 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving a request to update the SMM Code; validating the request to update; based on a determination that the request to update is valid:
creating a replacement copy based on the request to update;
storing the replacement copy in the persistent memory and in the SMRAM;
locking the SMRAM; and
hiding the replacement copy stored in persistent memory.

16 . The system of claim 11 , further comprising updating the SMM Code in the BIOS memory based on the request to update.

Assignees

• Dell Products Lp

Inventors

• Nijhawan Vijay Bharat
• Vidyadhara Sumanth

Classifications

• G06F3/065

  Replication mechanisms · CPC title

• G06F3/067

  Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title

• G06F12/1466 Primary

  Key-lock mechanism · CPC title

• G06F11/2284

  by power-on test, e.g. power-on self test [POST] · CPC title

• G06F3/0619 Primary

  in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors · CPC title