IP Library Granted Patent US 11,625,462
Granted Patent B2
US 11,625,462 · App. 17/062,981 · Granted Apr 11, 2023

Protection of data from malicious user in computing device from pre-boot state

Inventors: Parminder Singh Sethi (Ludhiana, IN); Durai S. Singh (Chennai, IN); Lakshmi Saroja Nalam (Bangalore, IN)
Assignee: Dell Products L.P.
G06F21/316G06F21/54G06F21/566G06F21/575G06F21/577G06F2221/2111
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,625,462
App. No.
17/062,981
Granted
Apr 11, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

Data theft protection for a computing device is provided by flagging a suspicious user within the pre-boot environment by systematic evaluation to determine suspicious location and/or anomalous user behavior. Depending on a suspicion score and a risk evaluation, the system automatically triggers one or more actions with respect to the data on the computing device.

Claims (34)

1. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory;

the at least one processing device being configured to:

collect a current data set when a current user performs a login process to a computing device, wherein the current data set comprises data indicative of one or more behaviors associated with the current user with respect to the computing device and the login process, and wherein at least a portion of the current data set comprises data collected in a pre-boot environment associated with the computing device;

compare the current data set to a previously-obtained data set collected when an authentic user performed a login process, wherein the previously-obtained data set comprises data, selectively determined by the authentic user, indicative of one or more behaviors associated with the authentic user with respect to the computing device and the login process, and wherein at least a portion of the previously-obtained data set comprises data collected in a pre-boot environment associated with the computing device;

generate a score based on the comparison of the current data set to the previously-obtained data set, wherein the score is indicative of a risk level associated with the current user; and

cause one or more actions to be taken based on the risk level indicated by the generated score.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data indicative of one or more behaviors associated with the current user and the authentic user with respect to the computing device and the login process comprises information indicative of one or more of: a booting pattern, login attempts, time taken to enter a password for a successful login, and flight time between keystrokes.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the current data set and the previously-obtained data set comprise information indicative of a geographic location of the computing device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the data collected in the pre-boot environment associated with the computing device for the current user and the authentic user is collected from an operating system runtime executing on the computing device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the comparison compares one or more criteria of the current data set and the previously-obtained data set and generates a sub-score for each of the one or more compared criteria based on a difference between data from the current data set and data from the previously-obtained data set for each of the one or more compared criteria.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to transmit the difference between data from the current data set and data from the previously-obtained data set to a server remote from the computing device.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein sub-scores for the one or more compared criteria are accumulated to generate the score indicative of a risk level associated with the current user.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the one or more actions taken based on the risk level indicated by the generated score correspond to given data stored on the computing device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the one or more actions comprise enabling access by the current user to the given data, preventing access by the current user to the given data, and deleting the current data from the computing device.

10. A method comprising:

collecting a current data set when a current user performs a login process to a computing device, wherein the current data set comprises data indicative of one or more behaviors associated with the current user with respect to the computing device and the login process, and wherein at least a portion of the current data set comprises data collected in a pre-boot environment associated with the computing device;

comparing the current data set to a previously-obtained data set collected when an authentic user performed a login process, wherein the previously-obtained data set comprises data, selectively determined by the authentic user, indicative of one or more behaviors associated with the authentic user with respect to the computing device and the login process, and wherein at least a portion of the previously-obtained data set comprises data collected in a pre-boot environment associated with the computing device;

generating a score based on the comparison of the current data set to the previously-obtained data set, wherein the score is indicative of a risk level associated with the current user; and

causing one or more actions to be taken based on the risk level indicated by the generated score.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the data indicative of one or more behaviors associated with the current user and the authentic user with respect to the computing device and the login process comprises information indicative of one or more of: a booting pattern, login attempts, time taken to enter a password for a successful login, and flight time between keystrokes.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the current data set and the previously-obtained data set comprise information indicative of a geographic location of the computing device.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the data collected in the pre-boot environment associated with the computing device for the current user and the authentic user is collected from an operating system runtime executing on the computing device.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the comparison compares one or more criteria of the current data set and the previously-obtained data set and generates a sub-score for each of the one or more compared criteria based on a difference between data from the current data set and data from the previously-obtained data set for each of the one or more compared criteria.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising transmitting the difference between data from the current data set and data from the previously-obtained data set to a server remote from the computing device.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein sub-scores for the one or more compared criteria are accumulated to generate the score indicative of a risk level associated with the current user.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the one or more actions taken based on the risk level indicated by the generated score correspond to given data stored on the computing device.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the one or more actions comprise enabling access by the current user to the given data, preventing access by the current user to the given data, and deleting the current data from the computing device.

19. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium having stored therein program code of one or more software programs, wherein the program code when executed by at least one processing device causes the at least one processing device to perform steps of:

collecting a current data set when a current user performs a login process to a computing device, wherein the current data set comprises data indicative of one or more behaviors associated with the current user with respect to the computing device and the login process, and wherein at least a portion of the current data set comprises data collected in a pre-boot environment associated with the computing device;

comparing the current data set to a previously-obtained data set collected when an authentic user performed a login process, wherein the previously-obtained data set comprises data, selectively determined by the authentic user, indicative of one or more behaviors associated with the authentic user with respect to the computing device and the login process, and wherein at least a portion of the previously-obtained data set comprises data collected in a pre-boot environment associated with the computing device;

generating a score based on the comparison of the current data set to the previously-obtained data set, wherein the score is indicative of a risk level associated with the current user; and

causing one or more actions to be taken based on the risk level indicated by the generated score.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 , wherein the data collected in the pre-boot environment associated with the computing device for the current user and the authentic user is collected from an operating system runtime executing on the computing device.

Assignments (9)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (054475/0523) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 060332/0664 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (054475/0434) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 060332/0740 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST IN PATENTS PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL/FRAME (054475/0609) Recorded Jun 10, 2022
From: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
To: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 062021/0570 →
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST AT REEL 054591 FRAME 0471 Recorded Nov 2, 2021
From: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.; EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC
Reel/Frame 058001/0463 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 18, 2020
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 054475/0609 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 18, 2020
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 054475/0434 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 18, 2020
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A., AS NOTES COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 054475/0523 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 13, 2020
From: EMC IP HOLDING COMPANY LLC; DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
To: CREDIT SUISSE AG, CAYMAN ISLANDS BRANCH
Reel/Frame 054591/0471 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 5, 2020
From: SETHI, PARMINDER SINGH; SINGH, DURAI S.; NALAM, LAKSHMI SAROJA
To: DELL PRODUCTS L.P.
Reel/Frame 053973/0698 →