Systems and methods for managing access to host computing devices by external devices

A system comprising:

• an interface to a host computing device;
• a computing device controller configured to:
• prevent access to the host computing device via the interface by an external device;
• receive access information from the external device;
• determine whether the access information is approved for permitting access to the host computing device;
• and
• provide access to the host computing device via the interface by the external device in response to determining that the access information is approved.

A system comprising:

• a universal serial bus (USB) interface to a host computing device;
• a computing device controller configured to:
• prevent access to the host computing device via the USB interface by an external USB compatible device;
• receive a serial number from the external USB compatible device;
• determine whether the serial number is approved for permitting access to the host computing device;
• and
• provide access to the host computing device via the USB interface by the external USB compatible device in response to determining that the serial number is approved.