Patent ID: 8667270

Claim:
A method for securely altering a platform component, comprising: generating, by an upgrade manager associated with a device, encryption and digital signature key pairs for the device, wherein the device comprises the platform component; obtaining public encryption and signature verification keys for a provisioning server from a certification authority; mutually authenticating the device and the provisioning server using the public encryption and signature verification keys for the provisioning server and the device, wherein the provisioning server generates a registration identification associated with the device; assigning, by the certification authority, certificates for public encryption and signature verification keys for the device; assigning, by the certification authority, certificates for public encryption and signature verification keys for an upgrade server, wherein the upgrade server comprises an alteration for the platform component; sending an alteration request from the upgrade manager to the upgrade server, causing the upgrade server to obtain assigned certificates for public encryption and signature verification keys for the upgrade manager from the certification authority, wherein the alteration request comprises the registration identification associated with the device; mutually authenticating the device and the upgrade server based on the assigned certificates and the registration identification associated with the device; causing the device and the upgrade server to exchange a session key during the mutual authenticating; and providing the alteration from the upgrade server to the device using the session key exchanged during the mutual authenticating.