Maxim’s Security Reference Design Enables Licensing Control and Secure Feature-Set Upgrades for Spartan-6 FPGA-Based Designs

Operating over a single pin, the built-in challenge-and-response SHA-1 authentication scheme in the DS28E01-100 prevents unauthorized product builds and safeguards FPGA IP. The reference design allows manufacturers to remotely turn on fee-based software-controlled feature upgrades, without physically altering the installed hardware. The security scheme requires secret keys to be loaded in the FPGA and the 1-Wire secure memory. Maxim’s reference core seamlessly overlays on the Spartan-6 device; utilizes less than 5% of the logic cell resources and eases the loading of secret keys into the FPGA. Maxim can also preprogram* the DS28E01-100 with customer-specified keys prior to delivery.

Anti-Counterfeiting, Brand Protection and Authentication Solutions Needed:
•Device manufacturers lose billions of dollars per year to “gray market” piracy.
•In 2010, the Brand Protection Alliance reported that the World Customs Organization and Interpol estimated the global trade in counterfeit goods has increased from US$5.5 billion in 1982 to approximately US$512 billion annually (and it continues to grow). Approximately 5-7% of world trade is in counterfeit goods.**

“Maxim’s security system provides best-in-class protection for licensing control and feature-set upgrades. If the DS28E01-100 and the FPGA do not ‘recognize’ each other, the FPGA design is effectively disabled,” said Prem Nayar, Business Manager for Secure Information & Authentication Products at Maxim Integrated Products.

“With the use of a Maxim DS28E01-100 1-Wire secure memory device, Xilinx customers can easily add a level of design security to their products. While targeting the Xilinx Spartan-6 families today, this could also be used with Artix™-7, Kintex™-7, Virtex®-7 and the Zynq™-7000 families,” said Jim Burnham, Platform Marketing for Zynq, Virtex-4,-5,-6, Spartan and CPLD Development Boards and Kits at Xilinx.

Availability and Pricing:
•The reference security scheme (Xilinx XAPP780) for the Spartan-6 family is evaluation ready.
•The DS28E01-100 reads and writes over a 2.8V to 5.25V voltage range and operates at -40°C to +85°C.
•Pricing for DS28E01 starts at $0.84 (1000-up, FOB USA).