Microsoft Corporation
INTEGRATED CIRCUIT FOR OBTAINING ENHANCED PRIVILEGES FOR A NETWORK-BASED RESOURCE AND PERFORMING ACTIONS IN ACCORDANCE THEREWITH

Abstract:

Embodiments described herein are directed to an integrated circuit (IC) for obtaining elevated credentials and performing actions with respect to a network-based resource in accordance with the elevated credentials. For instance, a user may request his privileges with respect to the resource to be elevated. Responsive to submitting the request, the client device's main CPU may send a request to a specialized IC included in the client device. The specialized IC performs various forms of validation responsive to the request. If validation is successful, the specialized IC sends a request for elevated privileges to a network-based service, which determines whether the user is authorized to do so. Upon a successful determination, the service provides a response granting the elevated credentials. The specialized integrated circuit is then given access to a private key that the IC utilizes to digitally sign an action request to perform the desired action.