Patent ID: 7900252
Filing Date: 2011-03-01
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for managing shared passwords on a multi-user computer system, said method comprising: generating a set of shared passwords, wherein said set of shared passwords includes at least a hard disk drive password and one of a supervisor password and a power-on password; generating an administrator internal key; receiving an administrator external key; encrypting said administrator internal key with said administrator external key; generating a user level internal key for each non-administrator user level within said computer system by hashing said administrator internal key, wherein said computer system includes at least two user levels; encrypting, for each user level, one or more of said set of shared passwords with a user level appropriate one of said user level internal keys; storing said encrypted administrator internal key and said encrypted set of shared passwords in a non-volatile storage device; and controlling utilization of said computer system by users based on an assigned user level for each of said users.