Embedded Security Overview; Basics Of Protection - HP Compaq NC4010 Features Manual

Embedded Security Overview

A computer system is only as secure as its weakest component. Creating a secure system involves
looking at all areas of vulnerability and creating solutions to address those areas. HP ProtectTools
does that by providing a solution for all points of vulnerability. These include:
• Securing the device
• Securing the network
• Protecting the data
Security solutions installed at the operating system (OS) level can provide a lot of protection against
unauthorized access. In order to truly cover such a broad scope, security has to also be built into the
hardware and firmware. This is referred to as embedded security.
Unlike OS level security software, embedded security features can only be provided by the system
manufacturer. Knowing this, HP has devoted considerable resources into creating a rich set of
embedded security features that work together to enable enhanced security..
This document explores the embedded security features built into HP notebooks.

Basics of Protection

A typical computer system stores sensitive data on a local hard drive, and may also have access to
network resources containing sensitive information. In order to help secure this computer, the
following need to happen:
• Protect against unauthorized access -- This is done to ensure that an unauthorized person does not
access the information stored on a local hard drive, and does not use the computer to gain access
to network resources.
• Protect local storage -- This is done to ensure that information cannot be accessed by simply
removing the hard drive from a secure computer and inserting it into a non-secure computer.
• Secure devices -- This is done to primarily ensure that the computer does not boot using a device
other than the primary hard drive, and access sensitive information by completely bypassing the
operating system authentication.
While these objectives can be achieved by using functionality at the OS level, HP provides embedded
security features that enhance user authentication, data protection and device protection.
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