System integrated circuit

• US 20020016917A1
• Filed: 08/02/2001
• Published: 02/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kitamura, Tomohiko
• Application Number:
  US09/921,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20020016917A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/75 by inhibiting the analysis of circuitry or operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G09C 1/00 Apparatus or methods whereby a given sequence of signs, e.g. an intelligible text, is transformed into an unintelligible sequence of signs by transposing the signs or groups of signs or by replacing them by others according to a predetermined system cryptographic typewriters G09C3/00

Abstract

A system integrated circuit prevents a storage region of confidential data that has been read from a memory device from being revealed by tracing the operation of an internal CPU. The confidential data is stored in a secondary memory and is used by the CPU. The confidential data is read from the secondary memory to a primary memory at initialization of an apparatus in which the system integrated circuit is incorporated. Specifically, an initial-state management unit (15) reads the confidential data from the memory devices (101 or 111), and stores it into one of storage regions in the primary memory at the initialization of the apparatus. The initial-state management unit (15) then instructs the CPU to start its operation. Even if thorough reverse analysis is performed on the operation of the CPU, the storage region of the confidential data is not revealed.

Claims

1. A system integrated circuit that is incorporated into an apparatus together with a memory device, the memory device storing confidential data, the system integrated circuit comprising:

a central processing unit;

an access unit for reading and writing to and from the memory device;

an indication unit for performing an indication operation at initialization of the apparatus, the indication operation indicating to the central processing unit to start up; and

a read control unit for performing a read control operation, the read control operation controlling the access unit to read the confidential data from the memory device,

wherein the read control operation performed by the read control unit precedes the indication operation performed by the indication unit.

2. The system integrated circuit of claim 1,

wherein the apparatus includes a clock signal generator that starts outputting a clock signal at the initialization of the apparatus, the clock signal being a time series of clock pulses,

the system integrated circuit further comprises a counter for counting a number of clock pulses in the time series outputted by the clock signal generator,

the indication unit performs the indication operation when a count of the counter reaches a first predetermined value, and

the read control unit performs the read control operation when the count of the counter reaches a second predetermined value that is smaller than the first predetermined value.

3. The system integrated circuit of claim 2,

wherein the indication operation is to switch an internal reset signal from an inactive state to an active state.

4. The system integrated circuit of claim 3,

wherein the apparatus includes an external reset signal output unit for switching an external reset signal from an inactive state to an active state, and

the counter starts counting the number of the clock pulses when the external reset signal is switched to the active state.

5. The system integrated circuit of claim 1,

wherein the confidential data is encrypted data obtained by encrypting identification information relating to the apparatus or a user who operates the apparatus,

the system integrated circuit further comprises a decryption unit for decrypting the encrypted data read by the access unit, to obtain the identification information, and

the central processing unit performs processing using the obtained identification information, after indicated to start up.

6. The system integrated circuit of claim 1,

wherein the confidential data is a device key that is unique to the memory device,

the system integrated circuit further comprises an encryption unit for encrypting, when an instruction to write data is given by the central processing unit, the data using the device key, and

the access unit writes the encrypted data to the memory device.

7. The system integrated circuit of claim 6,

wherein the access unit reads the encrypted data from the memory device when an instruction to read the data is given by the central processing unit, and

the system integrated circuit further comprises a decryption unit for decrypting the read encrypted data using the device key.

8. The system integrated circuit of claim 7,

wherein the apparatus includes a reception unit for receiving a broadcast wave,

the data to be written to the memory device is obtained by the reception unit receiving the broadcast wave, and has been encrypted according to an encryption method determined by a broadcaster beforehand, and

the encryption unit encrypts, using the device key, the obtained data that has been encrypted, when the instruction to write the data is given by the central processing unit.

9. The system integrated circuit of claim 8,

wherein the decryption unit

(a) decrypts the encrypted data that has been read into the system integrated circuit from the memory device, and

(b) further decrypts the resulting data based on the encryption method, to obtain the data in an original state.

10. The system integrated circuit of claim 1,

wherein the memory device is connected to the system integrated circuit via a bus, and

the access unit

(a) receives the confidential data via the bus, when the read control operation is performed by the read control unit, and

(b) receives data or an instruction via the bus, when the central processing unit starts processing.

11. The system integrated circuit of claim 1,

wherein the memory device is connected to the system integrated circuit via a serial line, and

the access unit

(a) receives the confidential data from the memory device via the serial line, when the read control operation is performed by the read control unit, and

(b) receives data or an instruction from the memory device via the serial line, when the central processing unit starts processing.

12. The system integrated circuit of claim 1,

wherein the memory device is connected to the system integrated circuit via a bus and a serial line, and

the access unit

(a) receives the confidential data from the memory device via the serial line, when the read control operation is performed by the read control unit, and

(b) receives data or an instruction from the memory device via the bus, when the central processing unit starts processing.

13. A system integrated circuit that is connected to a memory device, the memory device storing confidential data and a program that includes a plurality of instructions, the system integrated circuit comprising:

a central processing unit for sequentially reading and decoding the instructions included in the program; and

a storage unit having a plurality of storage regions;

wherein the program includes a first instruction to read the confidential data and a second instruction to perform processing using the confidential data, the first instruction preceding the second instruction, and

the system integrated circuit further comprises a read unit for reading the confidential data from the memory device and writing the read confidential data to a predetermined one of the storage regions, when the first instruction is decoded by the central processing unit.