Circuitry for protecting a communication channel

1 . A transmitter comprising:

a controller configured to receive data that is provided with a signature, derive control signals from the data, and output the control signals to a circuitry;

an integrated circuit configured to verify the signature, generate a verification result and output the verification result to the circuitry;

the circuitry, the circuitry being configured to, depending on the verification result output by the integrated circuit, reject the control signals or transmit the control signals to a receiver via a communication channel;

a second controller configured to receive the data that is provided with the signature, to derive control signals from the data, and to output the control signals; and

second circuitry configured to, depending on a verification result output by the integrated circuit, reject the control signals output by the second controller or to transmit the control signals output by the second controller via another communication channel.

2 . The transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured, when verifying the signature, to verify an integrity of the data and/or an identity of a sender of the data.

3 . The transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to receive the data and/or the signature from the controller.

4 . The transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to verify the data.

5 . The transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to provide a sender of the data with additional data to be used by the sender when generating the signature.

6 . The transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the integrated circuit comprises an interface and the integrated circuit is further configured to receive a key for performing the verification of the signature via the interface.

7 . The transmitter of claim 6 , wherein the interface cannot be accessed by the controller.

8 . A transmitter comprising:

a controller configured to receive data that is provided with a signature, derive control signals from the data, and output the control signals;

an integrated circuit configured to verify the signature; and

circuitry configured to, depending on a verification result output by the integrated circuit, reject the control signals or transmit the control signals to a receiver via a communication channel,

wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to verify the data, and

wherein the integrated circuit is further configured, when verifying the data, to determine an age of the data and/or to assign the data to a hazard level.

9 . A transmitter comprising:

a controller configured to receive data that is provided with a signature, derive control signals from the data, and output the control signals;

an integrated circuit configured to verify the signature; and

circuitry configured to, depending on a verification result output by the integrated circuit, reject the control signals or transmit the control signals to a receiver via a communication channel,

wherein the integrated circuit comprises an interface and the integrated circuit is further configured to receive a key for performing the verification of the signature via the interface, and

wherein the integrated circuit is further configured to receive a password via the interface and accept the signature from the controller or another communication partner only if the communication partner has authenticated itself with the password.