Chip Data Protection Circuit Using Alarm Signal Scrambling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing chip security measures are inadequate as they fail to effectively reset the chip when an alarm signal is attacked, leading to potential data theft.
Innovation Solution
A data protection circuit that includes an operation module, an alarm management module, and a reset module, where the operation module performs bit width expansion and scrambling on the alarm signal, and the processing unit descrambles it to generate a reset request signal, ensuring the chip can reset even if the alarm signal is compromised.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the chip uses a simple alarm signal mechanism to trigger reset, then the device complexity is low, but the security against alarm signal attacks is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary scrambling mechanism between the alarm signal generation and reset trigger functions. The operation module generates a first alarm signal, which is then scrambled by a scrambling unit to produce a second alarm signal before reaching the reset module. This intermediary scrambling layer prevents direct attack on the reset function while maintaining system functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter state of the alarm signal through scrambling operations. The first alarm signal undergoes bit width expansion and scrambling processing to transform it into a second alarm signal with different signal characteristics. This parameter transformation ensures that even if the original alarm signal is compromised, the scrambled version maintains security properties.
2Reliability
If the chip performs bit width expansion and scrambling on the alarm signal, then the security against alarm attacks is improved, but the processing time and computational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The scrambling and bit width expansion operations are performed preliminarily when the alarm signal is generated, before the reset function is activated. By pre-processing the alarm signal through scrambling, the system prepares the secure signal in advance, reducing the computational burden during the critical reset triggering moment.
3Reliability
If the chip resets to initialization state upon alarm, then data protection is achieved, but the operational continuity is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the chip into distinct functional modules: an operation module for data processing, an alarm management module for security monitoring, and a reset module for protection. This modular segmentation allows the reset function to be isolated and activated only when necessary, minimizing the impact on overall system operational continuity while maintaining data protection capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A data protection circuit of a chip, a chip, and an electronic device, where the data protection circuit performs bit width expansion and scrambling processing on a first alarm signal using an operation circuit to obtain a second alarm signal, and outputs the second alarm signal to a processing circuit. The processing circuit performs descrambling processing after receiving the second alarm signal to obtain a descrambling result. When the second alarm signal is attacked, the descrambling fails, and the descrambling result is an active level. The processing circuit outputs the descrambling result to a reset request circuit, and the reset request circuit generates a reset request signal according to the descrambling result.