Mechanisms for locking computing devices
Various systems and methods for locking computing devices are described herein. In an example, a portable device comprises an electro-mechanical lock; and a firmware module coupled to the electro-mechanical lock, the firmware module configured to: receive an unlock code; validate the unlock code; and unlock the electro-mechanical lock when the unlock code is validated. In another example, device for managing BIOS authentication, the device comprising an NFC module, the NFC module comprising an NFC antenna; and a firmware module, wherein the firmware module is configured to: receive an unlock code from an NFC device via the NFC antenna; validate the unlock code; and unlock a BIOS of the device when the unlock code is validated.
1. A portable device comprising:
an electro-mechanical lock;
a display configured to display a status of the electro-mechanical lock, the display positioned on an exterior surface of the portable device;
an NFC radio; and
a firmware module coupled to the electro-mechanical lock, the firmware module configured to:
detect an NFC device;
activate a secure execution environment;
query the NFC device with the NFC radio to obtain the unlock code;
receive an unlock code over a near field communication (NFC) link between the NFC radio and the NFC device;
validate the unlock code; and
unlock the electro-mechanical lock when the unlock code is validated,
wherein the portable device has a clamshell design with a first and second hinged component and wherein the electro-mechanical lock latches the first hinged component to the second hinged component.
2. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the display comprises one of a set of one or more light-emitting diodes, a liquid crystal display, or an electronic ink display.
3. The portable device of claim 1 , comprising a universal serial port (USB) configured to:
connect to a USB device; and
receive the unlock code.
4. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the firmware module is a trusted execution environment.
5. A method for unlocking a portable device, comprising:
detecting an NFC device;
activating a secure execution environment;
querying the NFC device with an NFC radio to obtain the unlock code;
receiving an unlock code at the portable device over a near field communication (NFC) link between the NFC radio and the NFC device;
validating by the portable device, the unlock code;
unlocking a physical lock installed on the portable device when the unlock code is validated, the portable device having a clamshell design with a first and second hinged component and wherein the physical lock latches the first hinged component to the second hinged component; and
displaying a status of the electro-mechanical lock, the display positioned on an exterior surface of the portable device.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein validating the unlock code comprises:
comparing the unlock code to a one-time password stored at the portable device.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the NFC device is one of a smartphone or a smart card.
8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the physical lock comprises an electromechanical lock or an electro-magnetic lock.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the physical lock latches a lid of the portable device to a body of the portable device.
10. The method of claim 5 , comprising:
updating the display of the portable device to display an updated status of the physical lock.
11. At least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions for controlling a physical lock installed on a portable computing device, which when executed by the portable computing device cause the portable computing device to:
detect an NFC device;
activate a secure execution environment;
query the NFC device with an NFC radio to obtain the unlock code;
receive an unlock code at the portable device over a near field communication (NFC) link between the NFC radio and the NFC device;
validate by the portable device, the unlock code;
unlock a physical lock installed on the portable device when the unlock code is validated,
the portable device having a clamshell design with a first and second hinged component and wherein the physical lock latches the first hinged component to the second hinged component; and
display a status of the electro-mechanical lock, the display positioned on an exterior surface of the portable device.
12. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions to validate the unlock code comprise instructions to:
compare the unlock code to a one-time password stored at the portable device.
13. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the NFC device is one of a smartphone or a smart card.
14. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein the physical lock comprises an electromechanical lock or an electro-magnetic lock.
15. The at least one non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11 , comprising instructions to:
update the display of the portable device to display an updated status of the physical lock.