These is right and chip manufacturers are aware of this.This is why
they now feature countermeasures to this type of attacks in there
line of secure controllers and cryptocontrollers that can even
prevent bus microscanning. They are very popular in the smartcard
world. Check http://www.atmel.com

> "D. Schouten" wrote:
> > One thing that still isn't very clear to me, is if code protected OTP
> > devices
> > are more difficult to read out than the newer Flash parts with code
> > protect enabled.
>
> Actually any chip can have its code memory externally read, no matter
> what protection is used.  Using special microprobes is possible to read
> every square micron of the silicon die, so your code is vulnerable.  Of
> course, probably no one in this list have enough money to purchase such
> tools, but if your code worths enough, your competitors will have the
> code in the same day they put hands at your device...
>
> This tools are available at the market, chip manufacturers use them to
> run tests at their silicon wafers.
>
> I wonder why we don't have yet some kind of electric microscanners, so
> we could analyze buses and chips without physical contact... It would be
> funny to see the program counter register and the internal memory bus
> contents... how in the heck we will have protection for the common
> saturday afternoon pirate?
>
>
------------------------------------
netQ <netquake@innocent.com>
http://virtuaweb.com/picprog
"Home of amateur PIC programmers..."

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