Summary of MAXIM INTEGRATED RELEASES SECURE IOT MICROCONTROLLER WITH CHIPDNA PUF KEY PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY
Maxim Integrated’s MAX32520 ChipDNA is a secure Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller featuring built-in physically unclonable function (PUF) technology. It provides layered, financial- and government-grade key protection for IoT, healthcare, industrial, and computing systems, enabling PUF-based flash encryption, secure boot root-of-trust, and serial flash emulation. The PUF key offers tamper resistance without requiring a battery to destroy secrets, simplifying secure designs and reducing time-to-market for developers.
Parts used in the MAX32520 ChipDNA secure microcontroller project:
- MAX32520 ChipDNA secure Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller
- Built-in physically unclonable function PUF technology (integrated)
- On-chip flash memory (for PUF-encrypted flash)
- Serial flash interface/emulation
- Secure boot ROM/firmware (for root-of-trust)
MAX32520 Provides The Most Secure Boot For Root-Of-Trust To Protect Connected Healthcare, Industrial And Computing Systems
Maxim has released the MAX32520 ChipDNA™ secure Arm® Cortex®-M4 microcontroller, the first secure microcontroller with built-in physically unclonable function (PUF) technology for financial- and government-grade security.
Maxim Integrated’s PUF technology allows for multiple layers of protection to provide the most advanced key-protection technology in a cost-effective format for use in IoT, healthcare, industrial and computing systems.
As IoT applications continue to proliferate, large numbers of devices are being deployed in uncontrolled and hostile areas that make them more vulnerable to physical attacks. These are more sophisticated than software threats like poor crypto implementations or default password attacks. Designers want enhanced system defenses for their mission-critical applications where exposing secret encryption keys can bring down networks, ruin reputations, end companies and even negatively affect people’s lives.
IoT developers are eager to add security to their designs but they are hard-pressed to find the expertise needed to get them to market with advanced protection, said Tanner Johnson, senior analyst, IoT Cybersecurity at Omdia. Enabling developers to incorporate PUF-encrypted flash and secure boot loading without system redesign or in-house code development will help them reduce time-to-market dramatically.
The MAX32520 with ChipDNA offers multiple layers of protection through its PUF technology, the industry’s most advanced key-protection technology for safeguarding secrets used in cryptographic operations. It uses a tamper-proof PUF key for flash encryption, secure boot for root-of-trust and serial flash emulation. Additionally, the physical security inherent in the PUF key eliminates the need for a battery to actively destroy secret-key materials when under attack.
Read more: MAXIM INTEGRATED RELEASES SECURE IOT MICROCONTROLLER WITH CHIPDNA PUF KEY PROTECTION TECHNOLOGY
- What is the MAX32520 ChipDNA microcontroller?
It is a secure Arm Cortex-M4 microcontroller from Maxim Integrated with built-in ChipDNA physically unclonable function PUF technology for advanced key protection. - How does ChipDNA PUF protect cryptographic keys?
ChipDNA uses a tamper-proof PUF key to provide flash encryption, secure boot root-of-trust, and serial flash emulation, protecting secret keys in hardware. - Does the PUF key require a battery to destroy secret keys under attack?
No, the physical security inherent in the PUF key eliminates the need for a battery to actively destroy secret-key materials when under attack. - What security features does the MAX32520 provide?
It provides PUF-based flash encryption, secure boot for root-of-trust, serial flash emulation, and tamper-resistant key protection. - Which applications is the MAX32520 intended for?
It is intended for IoT, healthcare, industrial, and computing systems requiring mission-critical security. - How does MAX32520 help developers reduce time-to-market?
By enabling PUF-encrypted flash and secure boot loading without system redesign or in-house code development, it simplifies adding advanced protection and speeds development. - Why is hardware PUF protection important for deployed IoT devices?
Because many deployed devices are in uncontrolled and hostile areas vulnerable to physical attacks that can expose secret encryption keys; PUF provides stronger, hardware-based defenses.
