Systems and methods for protecting against unauthorized access of encrypted data during power-management modes

A system for protecting against unauthorized access of encrypted data during implementation of a power-management mode, the system comprising:

• a mode-detection module programmed to:
• detect initiation of a power-management mode that suspends the functionality of at least one component of a computing device while maintaining the functionality of the computing device's memory;
• a filter-driver module programmed to, before the computing device enters the power-management mode:
• identify, within the memory of the computing device, an encryption key that is required to access encrypted data stored in a storage device of the computing device;
• remove the encryption key from the memory of the computing device in order to protect against unauthorized access of the encrypted data during implementation of the power-management mode;
• a user-authentication module programmed to, upon discontinuation of the power-management mode, receive user credentials from a user of the computing device in order to authenticate the user;
• an encryption-key module programmed to, upon successful authentication of the user, regenerate the encryption key based at least in part on the user credentials by entering at least a portion of the user credentials into a key derivation function that regenerates the encryption key by introducing a salt that expands the portion of the user credentials into the encryption key in order to enable access to the encrypted data stored in the storage device;
• at least one processor configured to execute the mode-detection module, the filter-driver module, the user-authentication module, and the encryption-key module.

A non-transitory computer-readable-storage medium comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

• detect initiation of a power-management mode that suspends the functionality of at least one component of the computing device while maintaining the functionality of the computing device's memory;
• before the computing device enters the power-management mode:
• identify, within the memory of the computing device, an encryption key that is required to access encrypted data stored in a storage device of the computing device;
• remove the encryption key from the memory of the computing device in order to protect against unauthorized access of the encrypted data during implementation of the power-management mode;
• upon discontinuation of the power-management mode, receive user credentials from a user of the computing device in order to authenticate the user;
• upon successful authentication of the user, regenerate the encryption key based at least in part on the user credentials by entering at least a portion of the user credentials into a key derivation function that regenerates the encryption key by introducing a salt that expands the portion of the user credentials into the encryption key in order to enable access to the encrypted data stored in the storage device.