Authorized Flashing
Intellectual-property protection for product owners.
Overview
Authorized Flashing is a security feature for SEGGER Flasher in-system programmers that helps product owners protect what is theirs. Attacks on firmware images are increasingly of interest to hackers and other individuals who may seek unauthorized access for purposes of theft or counterfeiting.
Authorized Flashing employs a hidden partition (a secure area) that ensures that private information remains protected. Additionally, it enables users to determine the number of programming cycles in order to limit the number of devices that can be programmed.
Key features
IP protection
With Authorized Flashing, firmware images are hidden, making it difficult for an unauthorized party to access them by reading a Flasher. As a result, images are secure and intellectual property (IP) protected.
Configurable programming limits
During Flasher configuration, users can opt to limit programming cycles and, correspondingly, the number of devices that can be programmed. Once a pre-defined number of devices are programmed, the respective Flasher must be re-configured in order to start a new programming cycle.
Use cases
Service scenarios
In service scenarios (e.g., in the field), devices may sometimes get lost or left behind (accidentally forgotten at a service site, stolen, etc.). By limiting the number of actions that can be performed on a device, potential damages incurred due to unwanted third-party access are reduced.
Production scenarios
In production scenarios, from a customer's perspective, not all manufacturing sites may be trusted sites. The higher the metaphorical security fence is, the less likely it is that overproduction or IP theft can take place. Authorized Flashing significantly increases security levels.
How Authorized Flashing works
Flasher programmers allow creation of a hidden partition (referred to as a secure area) that stores the data required for a programming process. Included here is information on the number of times the data may be used for programming.
When a secure area is created, half of a Flasher's storage is reserved for the secure area. The secure area can be removed at any time, which results in reallocation of full storage capacity to the public area.
Once a Flasher has been prepared for use, the hidden partition can no longer be accessed. At this point, the user is able only to start the programming process, which uses the hidden information. Once the hidden partition is set up, it can be used either as a source for the programming process, or it can be reset (erased).
A secure area is created as the Flasher is prepared for use; then, the Flasher is made available to a manufacturer (e.g., a contractor); and, finally, flash programming is triggered by the end user.
FAQ
What Flasher models support authorized flashing?
All Flasher models.
Does use of the Authorized Flashing mode limit available features (e.g., support for patch files)?
No. All features, such as support for multiple or patch files, etc., can also be used when operating from the secure area.
Do I need a license to use Authorized Flashing?
No. This feature is part of a Flasher device's default feature set.
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