Abstract: Provisioning a license and an application program from a first server to a computing platform over a network. The host application derives a symmetric key at least in part from a user password, and sends the license to a license management firmware component of a security engine, in a message signed by the symmetric key. The license management firmware component derives the symmetric key at least in part from the user password stored in a secure storage of the security engine, verifies the signature on the message using the symmetric key, verifies the first server's signature on the license, decrypts the license using a first private key of the license management firmware component corresponding to the first public key to obtain the second key, and sends the second key to the host application, which decrypts the application program using the second key.

Abstract: Dynamic updating of firmware in a processing system without performing a system reset may be accomplished by allocating memory space for updated firmware in a dynamic random access memory of the processing system during the system initialization process for the processing system; receiving the updated firmware during runtime of the processing system; validating the updated firmware; storing the updated firmware into the allocated memory space when the updated firmware is validated; and setting a pointer variable indicating the start of a portion of the firmware to point to the start of the updated firmware stored in the allocated memory space.

Abstract: In a computing system having a processor package, an operating system, and a physical I/O device, a partial virtual machine is provided to instantiate a virtual I/O device corresponding to the physical I/O device, the virtual I/O device having a virtual I/O controller. The partial virtual machine includes an I/O port trap to capture an I/O request to the virtual I/O device by the operating system; an I/O controller emulator coupled to the I/O port trap to handle an I/O control request to the virtual I/O controller, when the I/O request comprises an I/O control request; an I/O device emulator coupled to the I/O port trap component to handle an I/O access request to communicate with the virtual I/O device, when the I/O request comprises an I/O access request; and a device driver coupled to the I/O controller emulator and the I/O device emulator to communicate with the physical I/O device based at least in part on the I/O control request and the I/O access request.

Abstract: Providing trusted time in a computing platform, while still supporting privacy, may be accomplished by having a trusted time device provide the trusted time to an application executing on the computing platform. The trusted time device may be reset by determining if a value in a trusted time random number register has been set, and if not, waiting a period of time, generating a new random number, and storing the new random number in the trusted time random number register. The trusted time random number register is set to zero whenever electrical power is first applied to the trusted time device upon power up of the computing platform, and whenever a battery powering the trusted time device is removed and reconnected. By keeping the size of the trusted time random number register relatively small, and waiting the specified period of time, attacks on the computing platform to determine the trusted time may be minimized, while deterring the computing platform from being uniquely identified.

Abstract: Improving security of a processing system may be accomplished by at least one of executing and accessing a suspect file in a sandbox virtual machine.

Abstract: A cryptographic device formed as an integrated circuit encapsulated in an integrated circuit package. The cryptographic device decrypts information having a first encrypted format that is input into the cryptographic device producing information in a non-encrypted format. The information in the non-encrypted format is subsequently re-encrypted into a second encrypted format which is output from the cryptographic device. The decryption and re-encryption operations are accomplished entirely within the cryptographic device.