Patents by Inventor Rob Spiger

Rob Spiger has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9489512
    Abstract: A “Firmware-Based TPM” or “fTPM” ensures that secure code execution is isolated to prevent a wide variety of potential security breaches. Unlike a conventional hardware based Trusted Platform Module (TPM), isolation is achieved without the use of dedicated security processor hardware or silicon. In general, the fTPM is first instantiated in a pre-OS boot environment by reading the fTPM from system firmware or firmware accessible memory or storage and placed into read-only protected memory of the device. Once instantiated, the fTPM enables execution isolation for ensuring secure code execution. More specifically, the fTPM is placed into protected read-only memory to enable the device to use hardware such as the ARM® architecture's TrustZone™ extensions and security primitives (or similar processor architectures), and thus the devices based on such architectures, to provide secure execution isolation within a “firmware-based TPM” without requiring hardware modifications to existing devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2016
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Stefan Thom, Jeremiah Cox, David Linsley, Magnus Nystrom, Himanshu Raj, David Robinson, Stefan Saroiu, Rob Spiger, Alastair Wolman
  • Publication number: 20160048678
    Abstract: A “Firmware-Based TPM” or “fTPM” ensures that secure code execution is isolated to prevent a wide variety of potential security breaches. Unlike a conventional hardware based Trusted Platform Module (TPM), isolation is achieved without the use of dedicated security processor hardware or silicon. In general, the fTPM is first instantiated in a pre-OS boot environment by reading the fTPM from system firmware or firmware accessible memory or storage and placed into read-only protected memory of the device. Once instantiated, the fTPM enables execution isolation for ensuring secure code execution. More specifically, the fTPM is placed into protected read-only memory to enable the device to use hardware such as the ARM® architecture's TrustZone™ extensions and security primitives (or similar processor architectures), and thus the devices based on such architectures, to provide secure execution isolation within a “firmware-based TPM” without requiring hardware modifications to existing devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2015
    Publication date: February 18, 2016
    Inventors: Stefan Thom, Jeremiah Cox, David Linsley, Magnus Nystrom, Himanshu Raj, David Robinson, Stefan Saroiu, Rob Spiger, Alastair Wolman
  • Patent number: 9189653
    Abstract: A “Firmware-Based TPM” or “fTPM” ensures that secure code execution is isolated to prevent a wide variety of potential security breaches. Unlike a conventional hardware based Trusted Platform Module (TPM), isolation is achieved without the use of dedicated security processor hardware or silicon. In general, the fTPM is first instantiated in a pre-OS boot environment by reading the fTPM from system firmware or firmware accessible memory or storage and placed into read-only protected memory of the device. Once instantiated, the fTPM enables execution isolation for ensuring secure code execution. More specifically, the fTPM is placed into protected read-only memory to enable the device to use hardware such as the ARM® architecture's TrustZone™ extensions and security primitives (or similar processor architectures), and thus the devices based on such architectures, to provide secure execution isolation within a “firmware-based TPM” without requiring hardware modifications to existing devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Stefan Thom, Jeremiah Cox, David Linsley, Magnus Nystrom, Himanshu Raj, David Robinson, Stefan Saroiu, Rob Spiger, Alastair Wolman
  • Patent number: 8375221
    Abstract: A “Firmware-Based TPM” or “fTPM” ensures that secure code execution is isolated to prevent a wide variety of potential security breaches. Unlike a conventional hardware based Trusted Platform Module (TPM), isolation is achieved without the use of dedicated security processor hardware or silicon. In general, the fTPM is first instantiated in a pre-OS boot environment by reading the fTPM from system firmware or firmware accessible memory or storage and placed into read-only protected memory of the device. Once instantiated, the fTPM enables execution isolation for ensuring secure code execution. More specifically, the fTPM is placed into protected read-only memory to enable the device to use hardware such as the ARM® architecture's TrustZone™ extensions and security primitives (or similar processor architectures), and thus the devices based on such architectures, to provide secure execution isolation within a “firmware-based TPM” without requiring hardware modifications to existing devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Stefan Thom, Jeremiah Cox, David Linsley, Magnus Nystrom, Himanshu Raj, David Robinson, Stefan Saroiu, Rob Spiger, Alastair Wolman
  • Publication number: 20130031374
    Abstract: A “Firmware-Based TPM” or “fTPM” ensures that secure code execution is isolated to prevent a wide variety of potential security breaches. Unlike a conventional hardware based Trusted Platform Module (TPM), isolation is achieved without the use of dedicated security processor hardware or silicon. In general, the fTPM is first instantiated in a pre-OS boot environment by reading the fTPM from system firmware or firmware accessible memory or storage and placed into read-only protected memory of the device. Once instantiated, the fTPM enables execution isolation for ensuring secure code execution. More specifically, the fTPM is placed into protected read-only memory to enable the device to use hardware such as the ARM® architecture's TrustZone™ extensions and security primitives (or similar processor architectures), and thus the devices based on such architectures, to provide secure execution isolation within a “firmware-based TPM” without requiring hardware modifications to existing devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Publication date: January 31, 2013
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Stefan Thom, Jeremiah Cox, David Linsley, Magnus Nystrom, Himanshu Raj, David Robinson, Stefan Saroiu, Rob Spiger, Alastair Wolman