Firmware upgrade method and apparatus
AssigneeIntel Corporation
InventorsMichael Nolan, Keith Nolan, Pat Cheevers, Jurijs Kacs, Wael Guibene, Charlie Sheridan, Cliodhna Ni Scanaill, Mark Kelly
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus are disclosed for performing authenticated firmware updates of a fog or IoT device, which happens concurrent with a field update of a component coupled to the device, such as a battery.
Claims21
(canceled)
A replaceable hardware apparatus adapted to be coupled to a target device, the replaceable hardware apparatus comprising:
- a hardware resource configured to be physically coupled to the target device, wherein the target device includes a memory device to store instructions that provide firmware instructions or software instructions for operation of the target device;
- a storage device configured to store update data for deployment to the target device;
- circuitry configured to host a trusted execution environment;
- and
- a microcontroller comprising embedded memory to execute microcontroller instructions, wherein execution of the microcontroller instructions cause the microcontroller to:
- detect coupling of the hardware resource to the target device;
- control interaction between the replaceable hardware apparatus and the target device;
- perform attestation of attributes of the replaceable hardware apparatus to the target device, using the trusted execution environment;
- and
- cause an update of at least one of:
- data, software instructions, or firmware instructions of the target device, using the update data obtained from the storage device, based on the attestation of the attributes of the replaceable hardware apparatus.
A non-transitory machine-readable medium having instructions stored therein that, when executed by circuitry of a replaceable hardware apparatus, cause the replaceable hardware apparatus to:
- detect coupling of a hardware resource of the replaceable hardware apparatus to a target device;
- obtain update data for deployment to the target device,
- perform attestation of attributes of the replaceable hardware apparatus to the target device, using a trusted execution environment of the replaceable hardware apparatus;
- and
- control an update of at least one of:
- data, software instructions, or firmware instructions of the target device, using the update data, the update data configured for deployment on the target device based on the attestation of the attributes of the replaceable hardware apparatus.
A replaceable hardware resource apparatus, comprising:
- means for detecting a coupling of the hardware resource apparatus to a target device;
- communication means for controlling communications between the hardware resource apparatus and the target device;
- attestation means for performing attestation of attributes of the hardware resource apparatus to the target device, using a trusted execution environment;
- and
- update means for causing installation of at least one of:
- data, software instructions, or firmware instructions onto the target device, based on deployment of the installation on the target device and the attestation of the attributes of the hardware resource apparatus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.