I invested a considerable amount of effort in the PIC16F87X to build the
micro-java Virtual Machine Chip. I was devestated when I realised that the
reset vector was not protected. Given that the PIC16F87X can read its own
memory regardless of the state of the protect bits it is simply a matter of
writing a program to read all of the memory and pop it into the reset
block.. thus the PIC16F87X memory protect is completely useless unless the
whole of the memory is protected.

This, I am pleased to say has been rectified in the PIC16F87X-A whereby
microchip have now protected the reset vector.

James
caska@virtualbreadboard.com


-----Original Message-----
From: pic microcontroller discussion list
[mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Vasile Surducan
Sent: Tuesday, April 02, 2002 11:02 PM
To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: [PIC]: Security of 16F87x


Philosophically speacking, does not matter if your product was stolen by a
poor fishman or a multimiliardare concern if you still don't know about...

best, Vasile



On Tue, 2 Apr 2002, Drew Vassallo wrote:

> >If I'll copy your product I'll try to
> >improve performances and not only to sell something.
> >You'll not be pourless if the same product designed by you is
manufactured
> >also in Taiwan without to know that.
>
> This is only true in a perfect world.  In our capitalist economy, people
> generally try to take good ideas from small or independent companies and
> make them cheaper to replace whatever product is currently on the market.
> Vasile, not everyone is interested in improving the performance of
> something.  They're interested in how much MONEY they can make off of it.
> And the easier it is for them to develop the product, the more money they
> can make.  Patents?  If you're a very small company or a private
individual,
> they don't mean diddly.
>
> If a fish salesman in Taiwan wanted to copy my idea, then that's fine.
I'm
> not worried about that.  But, if a larger, more established business in
the
> market wants to steal my product and use their position in the market to
> make my idea cheaper and flashier, then you bet I'm worried.  ANY security
I
> can get is to my advantage as a small manufacturer in this case.
>
> --Andrew
>
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