JP2002014740A - Security system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To actualize security which eliminates the burden of password input on a user without adding any resource to a computer system main body nor consuming existent resources. SOLUTION: A computer system device which has a battery, in which information can be stored stores user recognition information such as password, etc., in the battery and this recognition information is used to actualize the security function of the computer system.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to providing a security technology suitable for preventing unauthorized use of a small information device having a detachable battery.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The most common method for preventing unauthorized use of a computer system is to input a password from a keyboard of the computer system.
When inputting a password from the keyboard, the user has to enter the password every time the computer is started. Therefore, in the prior art, a key is physically attached to a computer system, or
No. 296483, an ID card reader is attached to a computer system, and an ID card is used as a key, or a PC card slot is used in a PC, and a PC card is used as a key. A method has been proposed in which the security lock state is released.

[0003]

As described above, when a physical key is attached to a computer system or when an ID card reader is attached, the hardware needs to be changed, and the hardware of the computer system is developed. There is a problem that costs are increased. If the PC card slot of the PC is used, no hardware change is required.
There is a problem that the card controller needs to be initialized and the security function cannot be realized until the initialization of the PC card controller is completed. Further, when the PC card slot is used for security, there is a problem that the PC card slot cannot be used for another purpose.

Further, when it is desired to temporarily shift to the password lock state without turning off the power of the computer system while the computer system is running (for example, when leaving the computer for a short time), a system using a PC card uses an operating system (hereinafter referred to as an operating system). There is a problem that complicated processing must be prepared in the OS) and the application program.

[0005]

According to the present invention, a detachable battery pack has storage means for storing passwords and user identification information, and is used when starting information devices, operating systems, and power saving states of computer systems. At the time of return, or at the time of return after intentionally shifting to the security lock state of the user, the password and user identification information preset in the information device and the password and user identification information stored in the battery pack. Compare and return to normal when matched, or release security lock. At this time, the password and the user identification information stored in the battery pack are stored in a part of storage means for recording battery information such as the remaining capacity of the battery pack, the battery type and the configuration information of the battery. The obtaining means can obtain the user password and the user identification information.

[0006] This eliminates the need for an acquiring means for acquiring the password and the user identification information from the battery pack. Further, resources such as PC cards are not occupied for security.

[0007] In addition, a detection means for detecting the attachment or detachment of the battery pack is provided, and when the detachment of the battery pack is detected,
The information device may be shifted to the unusable state, and may return to the usable state when the attachment of the battery pack is detected.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail. In this description, an IBM PC / AT compatible notebook personal computer is used as the computer system in claim 1, a smart battery capable of reading and writing information is used as a battery, and a PC / AT compatible keyboard controller (hereinafter, KBC) is used as the computer system. A computer mounted in a system and capable of communicating with a smart battery using the KBC as a host will be described as an example. In the claims of the present invention, any of a BIOS of a PC, an OS, or application software, or a program in a microcontroller may be used as a program for implementing a security system. A BIOS program is used as security lock release processing performed when returning from the power saving state or when returning from the security lock state where the user has intentionally shifted. When the battery is removed and inserted while the computer is running, the security lock is used. A KBC program, which is a one-chip microcontroller, is used as a program for shifting to a state / releasing the security lock state. As an example of realizing a security function using user profile information, a method of determining whether network connection is possible or not will be described.

The user identification information such as a password in claim 1 of the present invention may be either an existing value in the battery or a value manually stored in the battery by the user. The resulting character string is used as a password to identify the user. Further, the user identification method in the computer system for comparing with the password registered in the battery in claim 2 of the present invention may be an existing method in the computer system, or may be calculated from information existing in the computer system. This may be derived, or when the user registers a password in the battery, the same may be stored in a non-volatile information storage area in the computer system and used. In the example, a method of storing a similar character string in a nonvolatile storage area in a real-time clock (hereinafter, RTC) of a PC when a user registers a password in a battery is taken as an example. In this description, a method for the user to register the password in the battery and the RTC in the computer system is referred to as BIOS
Use the ETUP function.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a procedure in which a user stores a password in a battery and an RTC. FIG. 2 shows the password in the battery and the password stored in the RTC in the computer system when the computer system starts up, when the computer system returns from the power saving state, or when the user returns from the security lock state intentionally shifted. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure for comparing the security lock state and releasing the security lock state. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the KBC periodically monitors the presence or absence of a battery when the computer system is normally operating, and shifts to a security lock state when the battery is removed (keyboard and mouse cannot be input), and the battery is inserted. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for releasing a security lock state (input of a keyboard and a mouse is possible) in a case where the security lock is released. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for storing user profile information in a battery and implementing security using the profile information. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment when the present invention is used in a notebook PC.

Next, the internal processing of FIG. 5 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. First, register the password in
The change / deletion procedure will be described. When the PC 50 is started, first, a power-on self test (hereinafter referred to as P
OST) program is executed. By pressing a specific key during POST, the normal BIOS SETUP
(Step 1)
00). The user can set, change, and delete the password in the SETUP program of the BIOS. However, if there is an old password already registered in the RTC 53, it is necessary that only a valid user who can cancel the password can set / change / delete the password. Therefore, it is first determined whether or not a password has been registered in the RTC (step 101). Step 10
If no password is set in the RTC in step 1, the user proceeds to step 105 because the user can set / change the password. RT at step 101
If a password is set for C,
An attempt is made to determine whether the RTC password can be released with the password registered in the step 4 (step 102). Step 10
If the password inside the RTC can be released with the password inside the battery in step 2, it is regarded as a valid user and the process proceeds to step 105. If the password inside the RTC cannot be canceled by the password inside the battery in step 102, it is determined that the battery is not inserted or an unauthorized battery is inserted, and the user is requested to input the password using the keyboard (step 103). If the password cannot be released by using the means of step 103, it is regarded as an unauthorized user and the process proceeds to the password locked state (step 104). If the password can be released by manual input from the keyboard in step 103, it is regarded as a valid user and the process proceeds to step 105. In step 105, the user manually sets a new password from the keyboard, and the new password set by the user is stored in both the RTC and the battery.
The above is the procedure for setting / changing / deleting a password according to the present invention.

Next, a procedure for releasing the security locked state from the password locked state in FIG. 2 using the password stored in the battery will be described. In the example of the present description, the password is checked in three cases: when the computer system is started, when the computer system returns from the power saving state, and when the user returns from the password lock state where the user intentionally shifted ( Step 200). It is checked whether a password has been set in the RTC 53 in the state of step 200 (step 201). If no password is set in the RTC in step 201, the process immediately proceeds to step 205 in which the computer system can be used. Step 20
If a password is set for the RTC in Step 1,
First, an attempt is made to release the password lock using the password stored in the battery 54 (step 202). If the password lock can be released with the password registered in the battery in step 202, step 2
Go to 05 to make the computer system usable. If the password lock cannot be released by the password in the battery in step 202 or if the battery itself does not exist, a means for releasing the password lock is provided as a means for releasing the password lock by manually inputting the password from the user's keyboard (step 202). 203). If it is determined in step 203 that the password lock can be released, the process proceeds to step 205 and the computer system becomes usable. Step 20
If the password lock cannot be released with the manually input password in step 3, it is determined that an unauthorized user has attempted to operate the computer system, and the computer system is disabled (step 204). The above is an example of releasing the password lock state using the present invention.

Next, referring to FIG. 3, a description will be given of a procedure for shifting to a password locked state / releasing the password locked state by removing and inserting a battery while the computer system is running. In this description, it is assumed that the password is already registered in the RTC 53. First, the password registered in the RTC is stored in the RAM in the KBC accessible by the KBC 51 (step 300). After that KBC is PC50
It is monitored periodically whether a battery is inserted in the battery slot (step 301). (As described above, the battery employed in the system of FIG. 5 is a smart battery system capable of reading and writing information, and the KBC normally communicates with the smart battery as a host through a system management bus (hereinafter, SM-Bus). Therefore, the KBC can communicate data with the smart battery and determine the presence / absence of the battery without using the OS, the BIOS, and the application software without using the microcomputer alone.) If the battery is inserted in step 301, it is determined that the battery has not been removed, and step 301 is periodically repeated. If there is no battery in step 301, it is determined that the battery has been removed, and the process proceeds to step 302. In this example, a method of restricting the use of a keyboard and a mouse is adopted as a method of realizing the security lock state while the computer system is running. If the battery is removed, the keyboard and mouse are disabled by the KBC (step 302). With the keyboard and mouse disabled, the KBC periodically monitors the presence or absence of the battery again as in 301 (step 303).
If there is no battery in step 303, it is determined that the battery is not inserted, and the monitoring of step 303 is repeated. If there is a battery in step 303, it is determined that the battery has been inserted, and the password stored in the RAM of the KBC is compared with the password of the inserted battery to determine whether the user is an unauthorized user (step 304). If the battery password inserted in step 304 is different from the password stored in the KBC RAM, it is determined that the user is an unauthorized user, and the process returns to step 303. If the password of the battery inserted in step 304 is KB
If the password is the same as the password stored in the RAM of C, the user is determined to be a valid user, and the KBC returns to the state where the keyboard and mouse can be used again to use the computer system (step 305). . After execution of step 305, the state returns to step 301. The above is an example of transition to the security lock state / release of the security lock state when a battery is inserted and removed while the computer system using the present invention is running.

Next, a security method using the user profile information stored in the battery will be described with reference to FIG. First, when the OS is started, the network settings (for example, the IP address of the Internet) stored in the battery are read (step 4).
00), the network is set using the information by the OS or application software (step 401). Next, in step 402, whether or not the information is correct is determined by actually connecting to the network. If the network information in the battery is the correct user information, the state shifts to the state of step 403, and the network can be used. Conversely, if the network information in the battery is the information of an unauthorized user, the flow shifts to the state of step 404, and the network cannot be used.

[0015]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to add special hardware such as an ID card reader to a computer system, and a PC card slot is not consumed for security purposes. In addition, it is possible to realize a security system that maintains the advantage that there is no trouble of inputting a password every time as in the related art. Further, by using a battery as a storage medium for the user authentication information, there is also an advantage that the security function can be realized only by a one-chip microcontroller.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a procedure for registering / changing / deleting a password which is user identification information in the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for releasing a security lock (password lock) state according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure for dynamically locking / unlocking a security by removing and inserting a battery in a state where a password is present in the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for storing a user profile in a battery and implementing a security scheme using the profile information in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

50: Notebook type personal computer (notebook type P
C), 51: Keyboard controller (KBC), 52
… Basic input output system (BIO
S), 53: Real-time clock (RTC), 54 ...
Battery.

Claims (6)

[Claims] In a computer system having a battery capable of storing information, a user is authenticated using user identification information such as a password stored in the battery, and a security method for preventing unauthorized use of the computer system. . 2. The security method according to claim 1, wherein the security lock state * 1 needs to be released (for example, when the computer system is started, or when an operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) is started, or when the computer system returns from the power saving state). At the time, or when the user starts the computer system, the security lock state is intentionally shifted with a combination key, etc.
An authentication method by comparing the user identification information stored inside the battery with the user identification information stored inside the computer system at the time of returning from the security lock state). (* 1 Here, the security lock state indicates a state in which the password is locked on the computer system and the computer system cannot be used or there is some use restriction). 3. A computer system using the security method according to claim 1, wherein when the battery is removed while the computer system is running, the computer system is disabled or the usage is restricted in conjunction with the removal of the battery. A security method that shifts the computer system to a usable state when the battery is inserted again. 4. A computer system using the security method according to claim 1, wherein user profile information such as network setting values is stored in a battery as user identification information, and the environment setting of the computer system is stored using the information. A security method that prevents unauthorized use of computer systems. 5. The security system according to claim 1, wherein
A computer system device having one or more of the authentication method according to claim 2, the security method according to claim 3, and the security method according to claim 4. 6. The security method according to claim 1, wherein
A storage medium storing a program for implementing one or more of the authentication method according to claim 2, the security method according to claim 3, and the security method according to claim 4.