Patent ID: 8165300

Claim:
A method comprising: configuring at least one processor device to perform the functions of: receiving an encryption key request for an encryption key; receiving an environment identifier; determining whether the received environment identifier is associated with the requested encryption key, the determining resulting in an association determination; in response to the association determination being that the received environment identifier is associated with the requested encryption key: receiving one or more user-supplied environment authentication data items from a user; retrieving one or more stored environment authentication data items from a secure storage location, wherein the retrieved stored environment authentication data items correspond to the received environment identifier; authenticating the received environment authentication data items using the retrieved stored environment authentication data items; allowing use of the requested encryption key in response to the authenticating resulting in a successful authentication; and denying use of the requested encryption key in response to the authenticating resulting in an unsuccessful authentication; denying use of the requested encryption key in response to the association determination being that the received environment identifier is not associated with the requested encryption key; and wherein the stored environment authentication data and the requested encryption key are each encrypted with a first key, and wherein the first key is encrypted with a second key, the second key being maintained within a hardware-based Trusted Platform Module (TPM), and the requested encryption key, the stored environment authentication data items, and the first key being stored on one or more nonvolatile storage devices accessible to a first information handling system.