Date: 15th Jun 2011
Boot code protection solutions for TI's
processor chips
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is offering its customers
added protection against unauthorized reading of intellectual
property (IP) and sensitive data in its TMS320C6748 digital
signal processors (DSPs) and OMAP-L138 DSP + ARM processors.
These processors are part of the TI's C6000 DSP and C6-Integra
DSP + ARM product platforms.
The two areas of protection include:
Secure boot capability prevents external entities from modifying
customer-developed algorithms to stop unauthorized users
from misusing the customer's system and its operation by
preventing insertion of malware, reverse engineering and
system cloning.
Multi-layer encryption offers the ability to upgrade boot
and application software code remotely on flash memory while
allowing the boot sequence to remain secure. Multi-layer
encryption is enabled when a device-specific cipher key,
known only to the device, is used to protect customer encryption
keys. When an update is needed, the customer creates a new
encrypted image using its encryption keys. Then the device
can acquire the image wirelessly and overwrite the existing
code.
Examples of applications that would benefit from the secure
boot and secure field upgrade feature include medical patient
monitors that utilize proprietary, certified algorithms
and software-defined radios (SDRs) to ensure communication
isn't compromised if the radios fall into the wrong hands.
"Software is a key differentiator for companies to
be competitive in their markets; however, it is also their
leading cost factor," said Joy Ji, OMAP-L1x DSP + ARM
product marketing manager, TI. "TI's newly enhanced
processors enable customers to protect those investments,
which is why TI is integrating secure boot on our industry-leading
processors. This hardware-based security system allows our
customers more robust IP protection than typical software-based
solutions."
For applications requiring manufacturing facilities that
support secure-boot technology, Logic PD, a member of TI's
Elite Design House Network, provides design services, turnkey
design through manufacturing and manufacturing facilities
that support the secure-boot technology implementation at
its U.S.-based, ITAR- and ISO 13485-compliant manufacturing
sites.
The secure boot, multi-level encrypted C6748 DSPs and OMAP-L138
DSP + ARM processors are sampling now at 375MHz and 456MHz
with industrial temperature ranges available. Production
pricing starts at $18 per 1,000 units (1ku) for the C6748
DSP and $21.40 per 1ku for the OMAP-L138 DSP + ARM processor.
TI also offers secure-boot-enabled devices in the C5000
ultra-low-power DSP platform and plans to introduce future
software-compatible devices with varying levels of security
in additional DSP, DSP + ARM and ARM-only platforms.
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