Patent ID: 8561138

Claim:
A system for protecting a computing platform from unauthorized access, comprising: a host processor coupled to a first wireless communication device to receive location-based information from a positioning device; an out-of-band processor different from and operating independently from the host processor, the out-of-band processor in communication with the host processor, coupled to the first wireless communication device to receive location-based information from the positioning device, and powered independently of the host processor to enable operation independent of the status of the host processor; a firmware service configured to run during boot on the host processor to verify that the computing platform is authorized for operation, the authorization based at least on location-based information received from the positioning device and pre-defined platform policy; and a runtime service configured to run after boot on the out-of-band processor independent of the status of the host processor, the runtime service configured to verify that the computing platform is authorized for operation, the authorization based at least on location-based information received from the positioning device and pre-defined platform policy; wherein when the computing platform is out of range of a location defined in the pre-defined platform policy, the runtime service is configured to send a message to the host processor through a shared memory accessible to the host processor and the out-of-band processor, the message to cause the host processor to perform a security function to inhibit operation of the platform.