Protection of security parameters in storage devices
AssigneeMicron Technology, Inc.
InventorMehdi Asnaashari
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Security parameters used to encrypt data stored on a storage device may be protected using embodiments of systems and methods described herein. During a resize operation, data stored on a memory unit in the storage device may be altered prior to communicating an updated partition size to a host computer. In some examples, data is altered prior to storing the updated partition sizes in the storage device. In this manner, a host system may not receive the updated partition sizes until after the data is altered. Altering data may avoid exposure encrypted data, information about one or more security parameters used to encrypt data on the memory unit or decrypt data retrieved from the memory unit, or combinations thereof.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- receiving, at a storage device configured to store data encrypted with a stored security parameter and further configured to be removably connected to a host computer, a request to resize a first partition of the storage device;
- generating a temporary security parameter different than the stored security parameter responsive, at least in part, to the request to resize;
- encrypting, on the storage device, data with the temporary security parameter;
- writing the encrypted data to a portion of the storage device affected by the request to resize;
- and
- storing an updated partition size in at least one of the first partition or a second partition of the storage device.
A method, comprising:
- receiving a request to resize a first partition of a storage device configured to be removably connected to a host computer, the storage device comprising an encryption engine;
- responsive, at least in part, to the request to resize, altering data in the first partition of the storage device;
- after altering the data, resizing the first partition such that one or more of the altered data are in a second partition;
- and
- storing an updated partition size in at least one of the first partition or second partition.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a memory unit configured to store data encrypted using a security parameter, the memory unit including first and second partitions;
- and
- a controller configured to alter data in the first partition responsive, at least in part, to receipt of a resizing request, the controller further configured to resize the first partition such that one or more of the altered data are in the second partition and an updated partition size is stored in at least one of the first partition or second partition, the controller further configured to be removably connected to a host and encrypt data stored on the memory unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.