Integrated circuit security and method therefor
View Patent ↗The invention relates to an integrated circuit (IC), and more particularly to security to protect an IC ( 10 ) against unauthorized accesses. In one embodiment, an identifier is provided external to IC 10 . A corresponding input IC security key ( 52 ) is then provided to IC 10 and compared to a stored IC security key ( 30 ). If the input IC security key ( 52 ) and the stored IC security key ( 30 ) do not match, access to protected functional circuitry ( 12 ) is prohibited. The present invention may use any debug interface, including standard debug interfaces using the JTAG 1149.1 interface defined by the IEEE.
1. A method for providing security in an IC having protected functional circuitry, said method comprising:
providing, from the IC, an IC identifier;
in response to providing said IC identifier, receiving at the IC an input IC security key, wherein the input IC security key is provided by a debug device external to the IC, and wherein the debug device prior to providing the input IC security key evaluates a set of IC identifiers and corresponding IC security key values to determine the input IC security key;
comparing, in the IC, the input IC security key to a stored IC security key; and
selectively enabling access to the protected functional circuitry in the IC in response to said step of comparing.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein selectively enabling comprises:
if the input IC security key and stored IC security key match, enabling access to the protected functional circuitry; and
if the input IC security key and stored IC security key do not match, denying access to the protected functional circuitry.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
if the input IC security key and stored IC security key do not match, waiting a predetermined amount of time prior to comparing a second input IC security key received via at least one IC terminal to the stored IC security key.
4. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
if the input IC security key and stored IC security key do not match, receiving a second input IC security key via at least one IC terminal in response to a reset signal.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein if the step of comparing does not result in a match of the input IC security key and stored IC security key within a predetermined window of time, access to the protected functional circuitry is not enabled, and wherein a beginning of the predetermined window of time is independent of reset.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IC identifier is provided by the IC via at least one IC terminal, and wherein the input IC security key is received by the IC via said at least one IC terminal.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said at least one IC terminal comprises a JTAG terminal.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forcing access to the protected functional circuitry regardless of a value of the input IC security key.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said step of forcing comprises providing a force enable value stored in the IC.
10. A method for providing security in an IC having protected functional circuitry and a JTAG interface, said method comprising:
in a first JTAG state, receiving a user defined instruction via the JTAG interface;
in a second JTAG state, receiving an input IC security key via the JTAG interface, wherein the input IC security key is provided by a debug device external to the IC, and wherein the debug device prior to providing the input IC security key evaluates a set of IC identifiers and corresponding IC security key values to determine the input IC security key, and comparing, in the IC, the input IC security key to a stored IC security key; and
selectively enabling access to the protected functional circuitry in the IC via the JTAG interface.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first JTAG state corresponds to a SHIFT_IR state.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second JTAG state corresponds to a SHIFT_DR state.
13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
in a third JTAG state, loading an instruction register with the user defined instruction; and
in the second JTAG state, executing the user defined instruction.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first JTAG state corresponds to a SHIFT_IR state, the second JTAG state corresponds to a SHIFT_DR state, and the third JTAG state corresponds to a UPDATE_IR state.
15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
in a third JTAG state, providing an identifier via the JTAG interface.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the first JTAG state corresponds to a SHIFT_IR state, the second JTAG state corresponds to a SHIFT_DR state, and the third JTAG state corresponds to the SHIFT_IR state.
17. A method for providing security in an IC having protected functional circuitry, comparison circuitry, and at least one IC terminal coupled to the protected functional circuitry, said method comprising:
providing from the IC, an IC identifier;
in response to providing said IC identifier, receiving at the IC an input security key, wherein the input security key is provided by a debug device external to IC, and wherein the debug device prior to providing the input IC security key evaluates a set of IC identifiers and corresponding IC security key values to determine the input IC security key;
accessing the protected functional circuitry via the at least one IC terminal;
programming a force enable indicator to enable the comparison circuitry, wherein the comparison circuitry compares the input IC security key to a stored IC security key and, in response to comparing, selectively enables access to the protected functional circuitry via the at least one IC terminal.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the force enable indicator comprises a fuse.
19. The method of claim 18 , wherein programming the force enable indicator comprises blowing the fuse.
20. A method for providing security in an IC having protected functional circuitry, said method comprising:
executing an instruction in the IC to provide information external to the IC;
in response to executing the instruction in the IC to provide information external to the IC, receiving an input IC security key, wherein the input IC security key is provided by a debug device external to the IC, wherein the debug device prior to providing the input IC security key evaluates a set of IC identifiers and corresponding IC security key values to determine the input IC security key;
comparing, in the IC, the input IC security key to a stored IC security key; and
in response to comparing the input IC security key to a stored IC security key, selectively enabling access to the protected functional circuitry in the IC.
21. A method as in claim 20 , wherein the instruction comprises a debug instruction.
22. A method as in claim 21 , wherein the debug instruction comprises a JTAG instruction.
23. A method as in claim 21 , wherein the debug instruction is executed in preparation for performing a debug operation.