BIOS AdvantageTM
The patented BIOS Advantage is the
foundation of all Ancora Technologies current and future products
and is the key difference between Ancora products and legacy
solutions.
The overriding principle of Ancora’s approach is that in order to
achieve the highest possible security and the highest degree of
convenience a digital security system must be hardware based and use
only existing hardware components.
To achieve this, the digital security system must be able to store
security data in an on-board hardware component by software means.
The PC BIOS which is a standard non-volatile memory component of the
computer architecture is currently the only component on the
motherboard capable of permanent data storage.
This innovative approach of combining the computer software and
hardware to solve the challenge of digital security was envisioned
in 1997 and a US patent was granted for it in 2002 after a long and
thorough patent examination process. (US
Patent 6,411,941)
Spray painting
vs. writing with chalk.
To better understand the significance of the
BIOS as storage media for digital security information it helps to
think of the BIOS vs. hard disk as writing with spray paint vs.
chalk.
The Operating System of a computer does not provide write access to
the BIOS. This precludes inadvertent modification of data stored in
the BIOS by a user or an application.
Additionally, because the BIOS is a critical component of a PC it is
hosted in a Flash ROM which is a highly stable storage media that,
unlike a hard drive, has no moving parts. This type of stability is
required in large scale digital security systems, such as Ancora, in
order to keep customer support costs and operational stability under
control.
Like spray painting, data stored in the BIOS can be erased but it
requires a focused and deliberate effort and knowledge.
Even though the PC BIOS is the least accessible memory component of
a PC this alone does not guarantee optimal security. It is the
combination of the BIOS Advantage with the other elements of the
Ancora architecture that delivers the desired security level.
Anything stored on a hard drive is vulnerable to user actions, hard
drive formatting, defragging, mechanical failure and viruses, and is
easily accessible to hackers.
Dealing with the
many flavors of BIOS
In contrast to the common perception that
the BIOS is an obscure and not well documented component, there are
several core industry standards that are implemented across the
board on all BIOS versions.
While it is true that many PC OEMs customize the BIOS code, a
unified approach to take advantage of different industry standards
(i.e. ECSD, SM BIOS, ACPI, and others) is feasible. Because these
standards already exist, we do not need to modify the BIOS code.
In order to maximize the compatibility and stability of our
products, Ancora is joining forces with the leading BIOS vendors.
This strategic approach guarantees that Ancora is always positioned
ahead of technology trends and is always as close as possible to the
BIOS world knowledge base. The intimate understanding of the BIOS
insures that Ancora products coexist with current the BIOS installed
base and does not step over other data..
Other fields of
use of the BIOS Advantage technology
Today all digital devices share a common
computer architecture. A BIOS Flash ROM (a.k.a “firmware”) can be
found in game boxes, cell phones, PDAs , TV set top boxes, etc.
Ancora’s patented technology can be used to secure software, ring
tones, video games, electronic documents, digital cinema, music and
more, to any digital device.
Legal disclaimers
All information contained in this website should
not be used for any legal purposes including but not limited to patent
claim construction and claim scope analysis as it was intentionally
simplified for explanation purposes.
The '941 patent and other Ancora patents may actually cover broader
scope than what is mentioned in this website. Do not use this web
site in order to determine patent infringement.
|
