Want to crack the MCU decryption chip? These pictures tell you how to do it

Microcontrollers (MCUs) generally have internal EEPROM/FLASH for users to store programs and working data. What is MCU decryption? If you want to read the program illegally, you must unlock the password before you can read it. This process is usually called MCU decryption or chip encryption.

In order to prevent unauthorized access or copying of the program in the microcontroller, most microcontrollers are equipped with encryption lock bits or encryption bytes to protect the program in the chip; if the encryption lock bit is enabled (locked) during programming, the program in the microcontroller cannot be directly read with an ordinary programmer. Microcontroller attackers can use special equipment or homemade equipment to exploit loopholes in the design of the microcontroller chip or software defects, and use a variety of technical means to extract key information from the chip and obtain the program in the microcontroller. This is called microcontroller decryption. After most microcontroller programs are written into the microcontroller, engineers encrypt them to prevent others from illegally misappropriating them, so as to prevent others from reading the program inside.

MCU encryption and decryption can be divided into two categories: hardware encryption and decryption, and software encryption and decryption. For hardware encryption, for MCUs, MCU manufacturers generally solidify the encryption fuse in the IC. The fuse has an encrypted state and an unencrypted state. If it is in an encrypted state, general tools cannot read the program content in the IC. To read its content, this involves hardware decryption, which requires professional hardware decryption tools and professional engineers.

In fact, in theory, any MCU can be hacked by attackers with enough investment and time using the above methods. This is a basic principle that system designers should always keep in mind. Therefore, as electronic product design engineers, it is very necessary to understand the latest technology of MCU attacks, so as to know yourself and the enemy, and have a clear idea in mind, so as to effectively prevent the products that you have spent a lot of money and time to design from being counterfeited overnight.

As we all know, at present, all fields involving MCU decryption are generally used for product duplication. It cannot be said that there are no real ones used for research and study, but they are quite rare. Therefore, if you want to crack the MCU decryption chip cracking, you must know the principle of MCU decryption chip cracking.