Firmware protection

[anihilator]

Hi,

We developed some application for ESP8266 directly flashed via UART. Problem is anybody can readout our code out via UART. Is there any solution to protect our code inside ESP8266?
Thx for possible help.

[raz123]

Hi,

We developed some application for ESP8266 directly flashed via UART. Problem is anybody can readout our code out via UART. Is there any solution to protect our code inside ESP8266?
Thx for possible help.

Physically kill the UART pins.

[anihilator]

We know about this solution. But after that, we can't update it anymore (which is sad). Have you any tips on how destroy that pins without damaging other functions of chip? Or different solution?

[joostn]

It's useless, people can still desolder the flash chip and read your firmware. There's simply no way to prevent that.

[hdrut]

Hi,


I'm also interested in this topic. There is the possibility of encrypting the contents of flash memory. I have asked this question before to people at Espressif with no luck.
Hope we can all push harder to get this feature up and running. It´s really important for commercial applications.

Greetings,


Horacio

[raz123]

There are products that are designed, tested, and certified to be "secure" -- and even then, "secure" only lasts until a new vulnerability is found.
This product is not secure by any means.

If you wish to make it something that it is not (eg. secure), then your most probable bet is to destroy the UART pins. Might even do it with electricity.

For updating mechanisms, you can come up with a wireless and encrypted method.

[costaud]

How about :
burn a key which is generated from chip-id to flash.
After boot, check chip id and the key value , run while(1) if not match.

[hdrut]

Hi Costaud,

thks for your reply. As far as i know, that´s only a partial solution, since contents of flash memory can still be read and programmed into another ESP8266 module.

Am i wrong here?


Rgds,


Horacio

[rudi]

hi.. u have post


btw,
eagle.rom.addr.v6.ld
how this hw function to be use?

aes_decrypt = 0x400092d4
aes_decrypt_deinit = 0x400092e4
aes_decrypt_init = 0x40008ea4
aes_unwrap = 0x40009410

_rom_store = 0x4000e388
_rom_store_table = 0x4000e328

there are MD5, SHA and more availabel...

we have more protection availabel!?
are there api function



best wishes
rudi