Abstract: Techniques for execution of commands securely within a storage device are disclosed. Integrity of a command interpreter is verified before allowing it to execute commands within the storage device. The integrity of the commands can also be checked to safeguard against various threats including, for example, malicious attacks, unintentional errors and defects that can adversely affect stored content and execution. Error recovery techniques can be used to reconstruct the command interpreter and/or commands that are found to be defective. In addition, secure techniques can be used to obtain trusted versions of the command interpreter and/or commands from an authenticated external source.

Abstract: A computing system is operable to contain a security module within an operating system. This security module may then act to monitor access requests by a web browser and apply mandatory access control security policies to such requests. It will be appreciated that the security module can apply mandatory access control security policies to such web browser access attempts.

Abstract: A method for securely altering a platform component is provided, comprising: assigning certificates for public encryption and signature verification keys for the device; assigning certificates for public encryption and signature verification keys for an upgrade server; mutually authenticating a device containing the platform component and the upgrade server; causing the device and the upgrade server to exchange a session key; and providing an alteration to be made to the platform component from the upgrade server to the device using the session key.

Abstract: Improved techniques for controlling access to accessible components of computing environments are disclosed. The techniques, among other things, can be used to provide Mandatory Access Control (MAC) mechanisms for mobile and embedded systems. One or more accessible components (e.g., accessible resources) which a component may attempt to access are determined so that one or more access permissions can be stored in a manner that they can be obtained if the component attempts to access the one or more accessible components, thereby allowing access to the one or more accessible components to be determined based on access permissions that are readily available. Generally, access permissions can be identified and stored in anticipation of need. Access permissions can be identified, for example, based on the likelihood of use, or all possible access permissions can be determined and stored. A safe (e.g.

Abstract: A computing system is operable to contain a security module within an operating system. This security module may then act to monitor access requests by a web browser and apply mandatory access control security policies to such requests. It will be appreciated that the security module can apply mandatory access control security policies to such web browser access attempts.

Abstract: A Mandatory Access Control (MAC) aware firewall includes an extended rule set for MAC attributes, such as a security label or path. Application labels may be used to identify processes and perform firewall rule-checking. The firewall rule set may including conventional firewall rules, such as address checking, in addition to an extension for MAC attributes.

Abstract: The security of web widgets is improved by transferring a set of access control decisions conventionally handled by the Web Runtime system (WRT) to a more secure portion of the computing system, such as a kernel in the operating system. Access control rules are extracted and provided to the more secure portion. This may be performed during widget installation or at invocation of a widget. During runtime, the more secure portion performs security checking functions for the widget instead of the WRT.

Abstract: In a first embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided comprising: parsing a document, wherein the document contains at least one reference to a style sheet; for each referenced style sheet: determining if a ruleset corresponding to the referenced style sheet is contained in a first local cache; if the ruleset corresponding to the style sheet is contained in the first local cache; if the referenced style sheet is not contained in the first local cache, parsing the referenced style sheet to derive a ruleset; and applying the ruleset(s) to the document to derive a layout for displaying the document.

Abstract: In a first embodiment of the present invention, a method of providing security enforcements of widgets in a computer system having a processor and a memory is provided, comprising: extracting access control information from a widget process requesting a service, generating access control rules customized for the widget process, and providing the access control rules to a trusted portion of the computer system outside of the user code space of a Web Runtime (WRT) system; and for any static access control rule, delegating security checking of the widget process from the WRT system to the trusted portion of the computer system.

Abstract: Techniques for assessing the cost of allocation of execution and affecting the allocation of execution are disclosed. The cost of allocation of execution between a first computing device (e.g., mobile device) and one or more computing resource providers (e.g., Clouds) can be determined during runtime of the code. A computing system can operate independently of the first computing device and a computing resource provider and provide execution allocation cost assessment. Execution allocation cost can be assessed based on execution allocation data pertaining to the first computing device and computing resource providers. Power consumption of a mobile device can be used as a factor in determining how to allocate individual components of an application program between a mobile phone and a Cloud. In an Elastic computing environment, external computing resources can be used to extend the computing capabilities beyond that which can be provided by internal computing resources.

Abstract: Techniques for assessing the cost of allocation of execution and affecting the allocation of execution are disclosed. The cost of allocation of execution to or between a first computing device (e.g., a mobile device) and one or more computing resource providers (e.g., one or more Clouds) can be determined during runtime of the executable code. It will be appreciated that a computing system can operate independently of the first computing device and one or more computing resource providers and provide execution allocation cost assessment as a service to the first computing device and/or one or more computing resource providers. Execution allocation cost can be assessed (or determined) based on execution allocation data pertaining to the first computing device and/or one or more computing resource providers. By way of example, power consumption of a mobile device can be used as a factor in determining how to allocate individual components of an application program (e.g.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for establishing a secure multicast channel between a service provider and a terminal is provided. A request is received from the service provider for a configuration of the terminal. A configuration of the terminal at a first time is sent to the service provider. A security key is obtained, wherein the security is bound to the configuration of the terminal at the first time. Then the security key is decrypted using a configuration of the terminal at a second time, wherein the decryption fails if the configuration of the terminal at the second time is not identical to the configuration of the terminal at the first time. A secure multicast channel is then established with the service provider using the security key.

Abstract: Improved techniques for obtaining authentication identifiers, authentication, and receiving services are disclosed. Multiple devices can be used for receiving service from a servicing entity (e.g., Service Providers). More particularly, a first device can be used to authenticate a first entity (e.g., one or more persons) for receiving services from the servicing entity, but the services can be received by a second device. Generally, the first device can be a device better suited, more preferred and/or more secure for authentication related activates including “Identity Management.” The second device can be generally more preferred for receiving and/or using the services. In addition, a device can be designated for authentication of an entity. The device releases an authentication identifier only if the entity has effectively authorized its release, thereby allowing “User Centric” approaches to “Identity Management.

Abstract: In an embodiment of the present invention, the ability for a user or process to set or modify affinities is restricted in order to method for control a multi-processor environment. This may be accomplished by using a reference monitor that controls a process' capability to retrieve and set its or another process' affinity. This aids in the prevention of security breaches.

Abstract: Methods and devices for increasing or hardening the security of data stored in a storage device, such as a hard disk drive, are described. A storage device provides for increased or hardened security of data stored in hidden and non-hidden partitions of a storage medium in the device. An algorithm may be utilized for deriving a key that is used to encrypt or decrypt text before it is read from or written to the hard disk. The algorithm accepts as input a specific media location factor, such as an end address or start address of the block where the text is being read from or written to, and a secret key of the storage component. The output of the algorithm is a final key that may be used in the encryption and decryption process. Thus, in this manner, the final key is dependent on the location of the block where the data is being written or read, thereby making it more difficult to tamper with the data, which may be stored in a hidden or non-hidden partition of a hard disk.

Abstract: Techniques for Inter-Process Communication (IPC) in a more secure manner are disclosed. A communication component operating outside of an operating system can obtain operating-system data pertaining to processes that also operate outside of the operating system. The operating-system data can be more reliable than information that may have been provided by the processes, thereby allowing more secure IPC and consequently a more secure computing environment and/or system. A communication component can also be operable to make control decisions regarding the IPC data (e.g., IPC messages) based on the information provided and/or originated by the operating system (or operating-system data) and/or effectively provide the operating-system data pertaining to a sender process to its intended recipient process. A recipient process can also be operable to obtain the operating-system data pertaining to a sender process.

Abstract: In a first embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided comprising: parsing a document, wherein the document contains at least one reference to a style sheet; for each referenced style sheet: determining if a ruleset corresponding to the referenced style sheet is contained in a first local cache; if the ruleset corresponding to the style sheet is contained in the first local cache; if the referenced style sheet is not contained in the first local cache, parsing the referenced style sheet to derive a ruleset; and applying the ruleset(s) to the document to derive a layout for displaying the document.

Abstract: A method and system is provided for securing micro-architectural instruction caches (I-caches). Securing an I-cache involves maintaining a different substantially random instruction mapping policy into an I-cache for each of multiple processes, and for each process, performing a substantially random mapping scheme for mapping a process instruction into the I-cache based on the substantially random instruction mapping policy for said process. Securing the I-cache may further involve dynamically partitioning the I-cache into multiple logical partitions, and sharing access to the I-cache by an I-cache mapping policy that provides access to each I-cache partition by only one logical processor.

Abstract: A method and system is provided for securing micro-architectural instruction caches (I-caches). Securing an I-cache involves providing security critical instructions to indicate a security critical code section; and implementing an I-cache locking policy to prevent unauthorized eviction and replacement of security critical instructions in the I-cache. Securing the I-cache may further involve dynamically partitioning the I-cache into multiple logical partitions, and sharing access to the I-cache by an I-cache mapping policy that provides access to each I-cache partition by only one logical processor.

Abstract: Techniques for processing documents with executable text are disclosed. The techniques, among other things, can effectively address XSS attacks to Internet users when browsing web sites. Content deemed not to be trusted or fully trusted (“untrusted”) can be marked in a document that can include executable text. Remedial action, including not allowing execution of executable text marked as “untrusted” can be taken. In addition, when the document is processed, content deemed not to be trusted or fully trusted (“untrusted”) can be effectively monitored in order to identify executable text that may have been effectively produced by “untrusted” content and/or somehow may have been affected by “untrusted” content.