| 摘要 |
<p>A system 10 for firmware protection and validation includes: a memory device 14 containing BIOS or other firmware 24; a chipset 18; a microprocessor 16; a secure logic device 22 connected with the chipset and the memory device; and a power on reset circuit 20 connected to the logic device. When the system is powered on, the reset circuit sends a reset signal as part of the normal start-up procedure; the logic device then applies a hold signal to the chipset and the microprocessor, preventing them from operating. Once the reset signal has been de-asserted, the logic device validates the content of the firmware, and if the firmware is validated, verifying that the firmware has not been tampered with, the logic device stops the hold signal, allowing the chipset to load the firmware and boot the system. The validation may involve the application of a hash algorithm to produce a digest value for comparison with a stored digest value. The system may be incorporated into a slot machine or other gaming device which requires tamper-proofing.</p> |
