IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,367,290
Granted Patent B2
US 12,367,290 · App. 18/171,924 · Granted Jul 22, 2025

Systems and methods for security state optimization of SPDM-enabled devices

Inventors: Vineeth Radhakrishnan (Palakkad, IN); Mini Thottunkal Thankappan (Bangalore, IN); Shinose Abdul Rahiman (Bangalore, IN); Rama Rao Bisa (Bangalore, IN); Dharma Bhushan Ramaiah (Bangalore, IN)
Assignee: Dell Products, L.P.
G06F21/577G06F21/575G06F2221/033
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,367,290
App. No.
18/171,924
Granted
Jul 22, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, an Information Handling System (IHS) includes a plurality of Security Protocol and Data Model (SPDM)-enabled devices conforming to a SPDM specification, and instructions stored in a memory and executable by a processor to communicate with the SPDM-enabled devices to derive a trust score for each of the SPDM-enabled devices, and perform one or more optimization actions to optimize an overall security state of the IHS.

Claims (58)

1. An Information Handling System (IHS), comprising:

a plurality of Security Protocol and Data Model (SPDM)-enabled devices conforming to a SPDM specification;

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution, cause the IHS to:

communicate out-of-band with each SPDM-enabled device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices before launching an Operating System (OS) to boot the IHS from at least one SPDM-enabled device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices, to derive a trust score for each of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices, based at least in part on performing an attestation process using a Root-of-Trust (ROT) accessible to the IHS, the attestation process comprising issuing an authentication challenge to and receiving an authentication response from each of the SPDM-enabled devices;

determine, before booting the IHS and based at least in part on the authentication response and the RoT, whether any SPDM-enabled device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices failed the authentication challenge;

determine, before booting the IHS and based at least in part on a boot order configuration in a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) configured in the IHS, whether the IHS is scheduled to boot from any device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices that failed the authentication challenge;

in response to a determination that the IHS is scheduled to boot from any device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices that failed the authentication challenge, select another SPDM-enabled device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices that succeeded the authentication challenge, and permit the IHS to boot from the selected SPDM-enabled device; and

perform one or more optimization actions to optimize an overall security state of the IHS.

2. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions, upon execution, further cause the IHS to perform the one or more optimization actions by:

deriving an overall trust score for the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices that are configured in a server;

obtaining configuration information associated with each of the SPDM-enabled devices;

sending the configuration information to an online optimization service, wherein the online service is configured to identify one or more recommendations for changing a configuration of at least one of the SPDM-enabled devices to optimize the overall trust score of the server;

receiving the one or more recommendations from the online optimization service; and

presenting the one or more recommendations to a user of the IHS.

3. The IHS of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices are configured in a plurality of servers comprising a cluster, the overall trust score comprising a metric value associated with a security state level of the cluster.

4. The IHS of claim 3 , wherein the program instructions, upon execution, further cause the IHS to:

generate a benchmark trust score comprising a metric value attributed to an optimal configuration of the SPDM-enabled devices in the cluster; and

present the generated benchmark trust score and the overall trust score for consumption by the user.

5. The IHS of claim 2 , wherein the overall trust score is based at least in part, on a firmware version of one SPDM-enabled device relative to a firmware version of a second SPDM-enabled device, or on a software version of one respective SPDM-enabled device relative to a software version of a second respective SPDM-enabled device.

6. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions, upon execution, further cause the IHS to perform the attestation process when the IHS is in a S5 state.

7. The IHS of claim 1 , further comprising:

a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) configured to perform the attestation process; and

a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) configured to inhibit the IHS from being booted with the one SPDM-enabled device that failed the attestation process.

8. The IHS of claim 7 , wherein the BMC communicates with the BIOS using a Keyboard Controller Style (KCS) channel.

9. The IHS of claim 1 , wherein at least one SPDM-enabled device that failed the attestation process is configured to perform at least one function associated with a bootstrapping process of the IHS.

10. A security state optimization method comprising:

communicating out-of-band with a plurality of Security Protocol and Data Model (SPDM)-enabled devices before launching an Operating System (OS) to boot an Information Handling System (IHS) from at least one SPDM-enabled device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices, to derive a trust score for each of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices, based at least in part on performing an attestation process using a Root-of-Trust (ROT) accessible to the IHS, the attestation process comprising issuing an authentication challenge to and receiving an authentication response from each of the SPDM-enabled devices;

determining, before launching the OS and based at least in part on the authentication response and the ROT, whether any SPDM-enabled device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices failed the authentication challenge;

determining, before launching the OS and based at least in part on a boot order configuration in a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) configured in the IHS, whether the IHS is scheduled to boot from any device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices that failed the authentication challenge; and

in response to a determination that the IHS is scheduled to boot from any device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices that failed the authentication challenge, select another SPDM-enabled device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices that succeeded the authentication challenge, and permit the IHS to boot based on launching the OS from the selected SPDM-enabled device; and

performing one or more optimization actions to optimize an overall security state of the IHS.

11. The security state optimization method of claim 10 , further comprising:

deriving an overall trust score for the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices that are configured in a server;

obtaining configuration information associated with each of the SPDM-enabled devices;

sending the configuration information to an online optimization service, wherein the online optimization service is configured to identify one or more recommendations for changing a configuration of at least one of the SPDM-enabled devices to optimize the overall trust score of the server;

receiving the one or more recommendations from the online optimization service; and

presenting the one or more recommendations to a user of the IHS.

12. The security state optimization method of claim 11 , further comprising:

generating a benchmark trust score comprising a metric value attributed to an optimal configuration of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices in a cluster comprising a plurality of servers; and

presenting the generated benchmark trust score and the overall trust score for consumption by the user.

13. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a Baseboard Management Controller (BMC), cause the BMC to:

communicate out-of-band with each Security Protocol and Data Model (SPDM)-enabled device of a plurality of SPDM-enabled devices configured in an Information Handling System (IHS) before launching an Operating System (OS) to boot the IHS from at least one SPDM-enabled device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices, to derive a trust score for each SPDM-enabled device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices, based at least in part on performing an attestation process using a Root-of-Trust (ROT) accessible to the IHS, the attestation process comprising issuing an authentication challenge to and receiving an authentication response from each of the SPDM-enabled devices, wherein the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices conform to an SPDM specification;

determine, before booting the IHS and based at least in part on the authentication response and the ROT, whether any SPDM-enabled device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices failed the authentication challenge;

determine, before booting the IHS and based at least in part on a boot order configuration in a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) configured in the IHS, whether the IHS is scheduled to boot from any device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices that failed the authentication challenge;

in response to a determination that the IHS is scheduled to boot from any device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices that failed the authentication challenge, select another SPDM-enabled device of the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices that succeeded the authentication challenge, and permit the IHS to boot from the selected SPDM-enabled device; and

perform one or more optimization actions to optimize an overall security state of the IHS.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the program instructions, upon execution, further cause the BMC to perform the one or more optimization actions by:

deriving an overall trust score for the plurality of SPDM-enabled devices that are configured in a server;

obtaining configuration information associated with each of the SPDM-enabled devices;

sending the configuration information to an online optimization service, wherein the online optimization service is configured to identify one or more recommendations for changing a configuration of at least one of the SPDM-enabled devices to optimize the overall trust score of the server;

receiving the one or more recommendations from the online optimization service; and

presenting the one or more recommendations to a user of the IHS.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein the SPDM-enabled devices are configured in a plurality of servers comprising a cluster, the overall trust score comprising a metric value associated with a security state level of the cluster.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 , wherein the program instructions, upon execution, further cause the IHS to:

generate a benchmark trust score comprising a metric value attributed to an optimal configuration of the SPDM-enabled devices in the cluster; and

present the generated benchmark trust score and the overall trust score for consumption by the user.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein at least one SPDM-enabled device that failed the attestation process is configured to perform at least one function associated with a bootstrapping process of the IHS.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 21, 2023
From: RADHAKRISHNAN, VINEETH; THANKAPPAN, MINI THOTTUNKAL; RAHIMAN, SHINOSE ABDUL; BISA, RAMA RAO; RAMAIAH, DHARMA BHUSHAN
To: DELL PRODUCTS, L.P.
Reel/Frame 062755/0019 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240281538A1 · Aug 22, 2024
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