Patent ID: 7917741
Filing Date: 2011-03-29
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A system, comprising: a host processor and memory; an embedded microcontroller coupled to the host processor; an auxiliary memory coupled to the embedded microcontroller, wherein the auxiliary memory stores program instructions for verifying system security; and one or more pre-boot security components coupled to the embedded microcontroller; wherein upon power-up, but before host processor boot-up, the embedded microcontroller is operable to: wherein the embedded microcontroller is further configured to execute the program instructions to: wherein at least one of the one or more pre-boot security components comprises a trusted platform module (TPM), wherein the one or more devices comprises at least one other of the one or more pre-boot security components, and wherein, to verify system security using the one or more pre-boot security components, the embedded microcontroller is configured to execute the program instructions to verify access rights using the TPM.