Architectures and techniques that allow a firmware agent to operate as a tamper-resistant agent on a host platform that may be used as a trusted policy enforcement point (PEP) on the host platform to enforce policies even when the host operating system is compromised. The PEP may be used to open access control and/or remediation channels on the host platform. The firmware agent may also act as a local policy decision point (PDP) on the host platform in accordance with an authorized enterprise PDP entity by providing policies if a host trust agent is non-responsive and may function as a passive agent when the host trust agent is functional.

Claims

28 · 3 independent · depth 4

28 granted claims

›1.independentA method comprising:nreceiving posture information, at a remote device via a network interface, for an endpoint;determining network access policies fo…+9

›2.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein enforcing the network access policies comprises applying network access limitations from the remote device by component…d2

›3.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein enforcing the network access policies comprises applying a default access control limitation if no access control limit…d2+1

›5.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein the remote device comprises a network access policy decision point (PDP).d2

›6.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more access control lists from the remote device include usage constraints related to one or…d2

›7.↳ 1The method of claim 1, wherein a secure connection is established between the remote device and a trusted firmware agent resident on the endpoint via …d2+3

›11.independentAn article comprising a computer-readable storage device having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:nrece…+11

›12.↳ 11The article of claim 11, wherein to enforce the network access policies comprises to apply network access limitations from the remote device by compon…d2

›13.↳ 11The article of claim 11, wherein to enforce the network access policies comprises to apply a default access control limitation if no access control li…d2+1

›15.↳ 11The article of claim 11, wherein the remote device comprises a network access policy decision point (PDP).d2

›16.↳ 11The article of claim 11, wherein the network access policies comprise one or more access control lists (ACLs) received from the remote device.d2+2

›19.↳ 11The article of claim 11, wherein a secure connection is established between the remote device and a trusted firmware agent resident on the endpoint vi…d2+3

›23.independentAn apparatus comprising:nan endpoint coupled to a network interface to support one or more software agents and configured to establish a first host en…+5

Classifications

4 codes

IPC · International Patent Classification

Section G — Physics

G06F21/00

USPC · US Patent Classification

726/3726/29713/193

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Pendency

4.3 y

1,573 days filing → grant

Office actions

non-final + final

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1 RCE

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Kaveh Abrishamkar

art unit 2494 · TC 2400

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Citations: 12 back · 0 forward

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1 priority documents

›Priority documents — 1

Type	Document	Date
related publication	US 20100071032 A1	18 Mar 2010

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