Secure access management of devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9336357-B2
Application number	US-201213629881-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2012
Priority date	Sep 28, 2012
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods may provide implementing one or more device locking procedures to block access to a device. In one example, the method may include receiving an indication that a user is no longer present, initiating a timing mechanism to set a period to issue a first device lock instruction to lock a peripheral device, relaying timing information from the timing mechanism to a controller module associated with the peripheral device; and locking the peripheral device upon expiration of the period.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus comprising a hardware processor to implement:
a security module driver to issue a first device lock instruction to lock a peripheral device after a predetermined period of user inactivity
an authentication logic to verify an identity of a user
a user presence logic to monitor the user's presence and
a subscription logic to,
receive an indication that the user is no longer present,
initiate a timing mechanism in response to the indication that the user is no longer present to set a period within which the first device lock instruction is implementable to lock the peripheral device and upon expiration of which a device lock is to be implemented to lock the peripheral device when the first device lock instruction fails to lock the peripheral device, and
relay timing information from the timing mechanism to a controller logic associated with the peripheral device,
wherein the controller logic is to recognize the expiration of the period and automatically lock the peripheral device when the first device lock instruction to lock the peripheral device fails to lock the peripheral device before the expiration of the period.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the authentication logic is to verify the identity of the user via one or more of a security code, a key exchange process, and biometric authentication.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the user presence logic is to utilize user presence data received via a secure connection from one or more of a sensor and a device associated with the user.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the peripheral device is one of a keyboard and a display device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller logic is to flush a data buffer of content.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the subscription logic is further to send a lock notification to the security module driver after the predetermined period of user inactivity, and wherein the security module driver is further to issue the first device lock instruction to lock the peripheral device after the predetermined period of user inactivity in response to the lock notification.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller logic is to receive a second device lock instruction to lock the peripheral device.

8. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions which, if executed by a processor, cause a computer to:
issue a first device lock instruction to lock a peripheral device after a predetermined period of user inactivity;
receive an indication that a user is no longer present;
initiate a timing mechanism in response to the indication that the user is no longer present to set a period within which the first device lock instruction is to be implementable to lock the peripheral device and upon expiration of which a device lock is to be implemented to lock the peripheral device when the first device lock instruction fails to lock the peripheral device; and
relay timing information from the timing mechanism to a controller logic associated with the peripheral device, wherein the controller logic is to recognize the expiration of the period and automatically lock the peripheral device when the first device lock instruction to lock the peripheral device fails to lock the peripheral device before the expiration of the period.

9. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein, if executed, the set of instructions cause a computer to verify an identity of the user.

10. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein verifying the identity of the user is to utilize one or more of a security code, a key exchange process, and biometric authentication.

11. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein, if executed, the set of instructions cause a computer to monitor the user's presence.

12. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein user presence data received via a secure connection from one or more of a sensor and a device associated with the user is to be used to monitor the user's presence.

13. The at least one computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein, if executed, the set of instructions cause a computer to flush a data buffer of content.

14. An apparatus comprising a hardware processor to implement:
a security module driver to issue a first device lock instruction to lock a peripheral device after a predetermined period of user inactivity, and
a subscription logic including,
first logic to receive an indication that a user is no longer present,
second logic to initiate a timing mechanism in response to the indication that the user is no longer present to set a period within which the first device lock instruction is to be implementable to lock the peripheral device and upon expiration of which a device lock is to be implemented to lock a peripheral device when the first device lock instruction fails to lock the peripheral device, and
third logic to relay timing information from the timing mechanism to a controller logic associated with the peripheral device, wherein the controller logic is to recognize the expiration of the period and automatically lock the peripheral device when the first device lock instruction to lock the peripheral device fails to lock the peripheral device before the expiration of the period.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , further including an authentication logic to verify an identity of the user.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the authentication logic is to verify the identity of the user via one or more of a security code, a key exchange process, and biometric authentication.

17. The apparatus of claim 14 , further including a user presence logic to monitor the user's presence.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the user presence logic is to utilize user presence data received via a secure connection from one or more of a sensor and a device associated with the user.

19. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the peripheral device is one of a keyboard and a display device.

20. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the controller logic further is to flush a data buffer of content.

21. A method comprising:
issuing a first device lock instruction to lock a peripheral device after a predetermined period of user inactivity;
receiving an indication that a user is no longer present;
initiating a timing mechanism in response to the indication that the user is no longer present to set a period within which the first device lock instruction is to be implementable to lock the peripheral device and upon expiration of which a device lock is to be implemented to lock the peripheral device when the first device lock instruction fails to lock the peripheral device;
relaying timing information from the timing mechanism to a controller logic associated with the peripheral device; and
recognizing the expiration of the period and automatically locking the peripheral device when the first device lock instruction to lock the peripheral device fails to lock the peripheral device before the expiration of the period.

22. The method of claim 21 , further including verifying an identity of the user.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein verifying the identity of the user is via one or more of a security code verification process, a key exchange process, and biometric authentication.

24. The method of claim 21 , further includi

Assignees

• Smith Ned
• Goel Purushottam
• Moore Victoria
• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Smith Ned
• Goel Purushottam
• Moore Victoria

Classifications

• G06F21/604

  Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems · CPC title

• G06F21/82 Primary

  Protecting input, output or interconnection devices · CPC title

• G06F21/00 Primary

  Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity · CPC title

• G06F2221/2137

  Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data · CPC title

• G06F21/35

  communicating wirelessly · CPC title