Method and Apparatus of Providing Security to an External Attachment Device

Abstract

Systems and methods of providing security to an external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) device are described herein. One embodiment includes presenting to a computing device, a first partition of an external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device, as a Read Only Memory; restricting the computing device from accessing a secured second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device; and in response to receiving a valid identity authentication, unrestricting access to the second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device. In one embodiment, in response to receiving a logon request from the computing device, an identity authentication process is initiated, wherein the process is stored on the first partition. Furthermore, in one embodiment, a process stored on a disk controller receives an encryption key from the process stored on the first partition of the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device, and the process stored on the disk controller uses the encryption key to decrypt the second partition of the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device.

1 . A method, comprising:
 presenting to a computing device, a first partition of an external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device, as a Read Only Memory;   restricting the computing device from accessing a secured second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device; and   in response to receiving a valid identity authentication, unrestricting access to the second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device.   
     
     
         2 . The method of clam  1 , further comprising, in response to receiving a logon request from the computing device, initiating an identity authentication process, wherein the process is stored on the first partition. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device is encrypted. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing the computing device with access to the second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device, comprises decrypting the second partition. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identity authentication process comprises verifying at least one of a RFID, a password, or a biometric identifier. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising, a process stored on a disk controller external to the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device, decrypting the second partition of the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a process stored on a disk controller receiving an encryption key from the process stored on the first partition of the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device, and the process stored on the disk controller using the encryption key to decrypt the second partition of the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 transmitting data to a disk controller and the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment device via a first port of a first type, of the computing device; and   providing power to the disk controller and the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment device via at least a second port of a second type, of the computing device.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the first port of the first type of the computing device is an external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment port. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the second port of the second type, of the computing device is a Universal Serial Bus port. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising converting a first serial data stream received by the disk controller to a parallel data stream, the first serial data stream received via a connection with the first port of the first type, of the computing device. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising converting the parallel data stream to a second serial data stream, the second serial data stream to be transmitted from the disk controller to the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment device. 
     
     
         13 . A system, comprising:
 a first unit to present to a computing device, a first partition of an external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device, as a Read Only Memory;   a second unit to restrict the computing device from accessing a secured second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device; and   a third unit to unrestrict the second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage and provide the computing device with access to the second partition, in response to receiving a valid identity authentication.   
     
     
         14 . The system of clam  13 , further comprising, a fourth unit to initiate an identity authentication process stored on the first partition, in response to receiving a logon request from the computing device. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device is encrypted. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the fourth unit comprises a process stored on a disk controller to receive an encryption key from the process stored on the first partition of the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device, and to use the encryption key to decrypt the second partition of the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device. 
     
     
         17 . A system, comprising:
 a means for presenting to a computing device, a first partition of an external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device, as a Read Only Memory;   a means for restricting the computing device from accessing a secured second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device; and   a means for unrestricting the second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage and providing the computing device with access to the second partition, in response to receiving a valid identity authentication.   
     
     
         18 . A machine readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions, which when executed, perform a method comprising:
 presenting to a computing device, a first partition of an external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device, as a Read Only Memory;   restricting the computing device from accessing a secured second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device; and   in response to receiving a valid identity authentication, unrestricting access to the second partition of the external Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device.   
     
     
         19 . The machine readable medium of clam  18 , further comprising, in response to receiving a logon request from the computing device, initiating an identity authentication process, wherein the process is stored on the first partition. 
     
     
         20 . The machine readable medium of clam  19 , further comprising a process stored on a disk controller receiving an encryption key from the process stored on the first partition of the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device, and the process stored on the disk controller using the encryption key to decrypt the second partition of the Serial Advanced Technology Attachment storage device.