Smi for electronic gaming machine security and stability
AssigneeWMS Gaming Inc.
InventorsJorge L. Shimabukuro, Jun Wang, Gerardus A Weijers, Robert A. McPeak
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for providing security services to an electronic gaming machine (EGM) utilizes system management interrupts (SMIs) triggered by security events to invoke execution by the EGM processor of one or more SMI handlers configured to provide a security service. Security events include the opening of an access panel on the EGM, an AC power loss to the EGM, a request for security attestation, a request for a secure encryption key, and other events requiring a secure operation to be carried out.
Claims20
An electronic gaming machine (EGM) comprising:
- a processor for executing tasks within the EGM, the processor being configured to provide a system management mode (SMM) triggered via a system management interrupt (SMI);
- a nonvolatile memory having therein a basic input/output system (BIOS), the BIOS including one or more SMI handlers, the one or more SMI handlers being configured to provide a security service to the EGM;
- and
- a volatile memory wherein the BIOS is loaded upon start-up of the processor and wherein an operating system (OS) kernel memory data is stored.
A non-transitory computer readable medium associated with an EGM and having thereon computer executable instructions, the instructions comprising:
- instructions for generating an SMI to a processor of the EGM when a security event is detected, causing the processor to enter SMM;
- and
- instructions embodying one or more SMI handlers corresponding to the SMI, the one or more SMI handlers being configured to provide a security service to the EGM.
A method of providing a security service to an electronic gaming machine EGM comprising:
- retrieving instructions from a BIOS memory by a processor associated with the EGM;
- installing by the processor one or more SMI handlers in keeping with the retrieved instructions, wherein the one or more SMI handlers are configured to provide a security service with respect to the EGM;
- and
- receiving at the processor an SMI signal at a processor and executing at the processor at least one of the one or more SMI handlers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.