Hardware functionality scan: Difference between revisions

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{{refimprove|date=February 2012}}

A '''Hardware Functionality Scan''' (HFS) is conducted in order to verify that a certain device is really what it claims to be.

A '''hardware functionality scan''' ('''HFS''') is conducted in order to verify that a certain device is really what it claims to be. It is patented by [[Microsoft]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freshpatents.com/Hardware-functionality-scan-for-device-authentication-dt20061026ptan20060242430.php?type=description |title=Patent: Hardware Functionality Scan For Device Authentication |first= |last= |work=freshpatents.com |year=2012 |accessdate=August 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204165348/http://www.freshpatents.com/Hardware-functionality-scan-for-device-authentication-dt20061026ptan20060242430.php?type=description |archive-date=February 4, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Some [[operating system]]s only send copy protected content, such as movies, to an output device, such as the screen, if that device is able to protect the content from being tapped in an unproteced format. This mechanism can be circumvented by letting fake hardware claiming to be a trusted device. HFS prevents this by letting the device perform certain tasks which are hard to emulate.

Some [[operating system]]s only send copy protected content, such as [[Film|movies]], to an output device, such as the screen, if that device is able to protect the content from being tapped in an unprotecedunprotected format. This mechanism can be circumvented by letting fake hardware claiming to be a trusted device. HFS prevents this by letting the device perform certain tasks which are hard to emulate.

==Problems==

* '''open-soure drivers''': In order to support open-source drivers, a hardware manufacturer has to reveal some details about their product, but HFS requires thesethis information to be kept secret. The problem with generic drivers is that the HFS requires individual drivers for each variant of a product to make them distinguishable, drivers have to account for implementation details instead of using abstract functionality models.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.html |title=A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection |first=Peter |last=Gutman |work=cs.auckland.ac.nz |date=12 June 2007|accessdate=August 21, 2012}}</ref>

* '''generic drivers''': The HFS requires indiviudal drivers for each variant of a product, to make them distinguishable: drivers have to account for implementation details instead of using abstract functionality models.

A hardware manufacturer has to have their product's HFS fingerprint listed in the database of trusted hardware in order to make it work under newer Windows operating systems. Thus, Microsoft dictates the conditions under which a device is accepted. The manufacturer may be required to implement certain [[Digital rights management|DRM]]-features, for which they have to pay a [[Royalty payment|royalty]] to its respective [[Invention|inventor]].

==References==

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Digital rights management systems]]

[[Category:Proprietary hardware]]

==Weblinks==

* [http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut001/pubs/vista_cost.txt A Cost Analysis of Windows Vista Content Protection]

{{computer-security-stub}}

[[Category:Digital rights management]]