Verifying data integrity in a data storage device

• US 8,997,255 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rambus Inc.
• Original Assignee: Inside Secure SA
• Inventors: Fusella, Yves, Croguennec, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, PHY ANH TRAN
• Application Number:
  US11/516,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,127 Days
• Field of Search: 365/185.33, 713161-167, 726/4, 726/26, 726/30, 711/103, 711/108, 711/163
• US Class Current: 726/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories

Abstract

A data storage device may include one or more pages, each page having a fixed number of memory cells, each memory cell being adapted to store one unit of data; a verification page, the verification page having a corresponding fixed number of verification cells, each verification cell storing a predetermined value; and a controller configured to 1) receive a read command having an address value, and 2) upon receiving the read command, a) retrieve a predetermined value from a verification cell corresponding to the address value, b) determine whether the retrieved predetermined value is an expected value, and c) if so, providing a retrieved unit of data, and if not, initiating a protective action. Determining whether the retrieved predetermined value is the expected value may include applying a function to the address value to obtain a result and determining whether the result corresponds to the retrieved predetermined value.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a data storage device including:

a working memory area having a fixed number of working cells accessible at respective addresses, each memory cell being adapted to store one unit of data;

a verification memory area having a corresponding fixed number of verification cells accessible at the same addresses as the working cells, each verification cell storing a predetermined value equal to a function of the address of the verification cell; and

a controller configured to

     1) receive a read command having an address value, and

     2) upon receiving the read command, a) retrieve the value stored in the verification cell selected by the address value, b) determine whether the retrieved value is equal to said function of the address value, and c) if so, retrieve the unit of data stored in the working cell selected by the address value, and if not, initiate a protective action.

2. The data storage device of claim 1, further comprising an interface configured to a) receive data to be stored in one of the plurality of memory cells and b) provide data retrieved from one of the plurality of memory cells.

3. The data storage device of claim 1, further comprising a common data channel, wherein both data retrieved from the working cell and data retrieved from the verification cell are retrieved through the common data channel.

4. The data storage device of claim 1, further comprising a pseudo-random/random order unit, the pseudo-random/random order unit pseudo-randomly or randomly selecting whether to a) first retrieve the stored unit of data from the working cell and subsequently retrieve the predetermined value from the verification cell or b) first retrieve the predetermined value from the verification cell and subsequently retrieve the stored unit of data from the working cell.

5. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein said function is configured to return at least a portion of the address value.

6. The data storage device of claim 1, further comprising a bypass selector, the bypass selector configured to cause the controller to retrieve the stored unit of data from the working cell and provide the retrieved unit of data without retrieving the predetermined value.

7. The data storage device of claim 1, wherein initiating a protective action comprises at least one of powering down a portion of the data storage device, resetting a portion of the data storage device, preventing a new value from being stored in any of the memory cells, or irreversibly altering a portion of the data storage device.

8. A method of retrieving data from a device comprising:

receiving an address for a memory location in the device;

retrieving a value from a verification cell in the device associated with the memory location, the verification cell storing a predetermined value equal to a function of the address of the memory location;

determining whether the retrieved value is an expected value equal to said function of the received address; and

if the retrieved value is the expected value, providing a data value as a retrieved unit of data; and

if the retrieved value is not the expected value, initiating a protective action.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising retrieving the unit of data from the memory location.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein retrieving the value from the verification cell comprises retrieving the value through a common data channel.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein retrieving the unit of data comprises retrieving the unit of data through the common data channel.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein said function returns at least a portion of the received address.

13. A method of retrieving data from a device comprising:

receiving an address corresponding to a memory location in a device;

determining whether the device is in a secure mode or a bypass mode;

if the device is in the secure mode, a) retrieving a value from a verification cell storing a predetermined value equal to a function of an address value associated with the verification cell;

b) determining whether the retrieved value is an expected value equal to said function of the received address; and

c) if the retrieved value is the expected value, providing a data value as a retrieved unit of data; and

if the retrieved value is not the expected value, initiating a protective action; and

if the device is in the bypass mode, providing a retrieved unit of data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising retrieving the unit of data from the memory location.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the verification cell corresponds to the memory location.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein retrieving the unit of data from the memory location comprises decoding the address into at least a row address and a column address, and retrieving the unit of data from a specific memory cell in a matrix of memory cells, the specific cell having the row address and the column address.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein retrieving the value comprises retrieving a value from a verification cell in the matrix of memory cells, the verification cell having at least one of the row address or the column address.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the device is in a secure mode or a bypass mode comprises determining whether a register is storing a first value or a second value.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the device is in a secure mode or a bypass mode comprises determining whether a fuse is intact or blown.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein initiating the protective action comprises powering down at least a portion of the device.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein initiating the protective action comprises irreversibly altering a circuit in the device.

22. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory storage media containing instructions that, when executed by a controller, perform operations comprising:

receiving an address corresponding to a memory location in a device;

determining whether the device is in a secure mode or a bypass mode;

if the device is in the secure mode, a) retrieving a value from a memory verification cell corresponding to the memory location, the verification cell storing a predetermined value equal to a function of an address value associated with the verification cell;

b) determining whether the retrieved value is an expected value equal to said function of the received address; and

c) if the retrieved value is the expected value, providing a data value as a retrieved unit of data, and if the retrieved value is not the expected value, initiating a protective action; and

if the device is in the bypass mode, outputting a retrieved unit of data.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 22, wherein the operations further comprise retrieving the unit of data from the memory location.