Maxim Integrated Releases Newest Automotive-Grade Security Authenticator

     Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. today announced the DS28E40 DeepCover  Safety Authenticator for Automotive Applications, which helps designers improve vehicle safety, reliability, and data integrity by securely certifying automotive components to ensure they are genuine Design complexity and reduce software development time. In a critical system, only genuine parts provide the highest safety and reliability. The latest addition to Maxim Integrated's AEC-Q100 Grade 1 qualified automotive system solution, the DS28E40 is a parasitic powered secure authenticator that utilizes a 1-Wire interface to simplify system connectivity. This safety authenticator ensures that only genuine parts are used in many electronic systems, including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and electric vehicle batteries.

     As vehicle functions become more complex, so do the potential risks to their safety and reliability. Automakers take two approaches to safety certification: ensuring that only OEM-certified components can be securely connected to vehicle systems; and reducing the risk of growing malware attacks. However, mature secure microcontrollers have relatively large form factors and require software teams to spend a lot of time developing and conducting rigorous code testing and debugging.

     The main problems with current microcontroller-based designs are that the larger the code base, the more likely it is to be vulnerable or attacked by malware, and the higher the risk of adversely affecting its performance; The secure authentication scheme is implemented using I²C and SPI interfaces, which take up many interface pins—including dedicated power and reset lines, up to 5-6 pins. More pins create more power dissipation and more reliability issues.

     The DS28E40 DeepCover Secure Authenticator is a fixed-function 1-Wire solution that meets AEC-Q100 Grade 1 and can replace microcontroller-based solutions. Single-function devices provide OEMs with highly targeted algorithms and instruction sets to meet their specific security certification needs, while reducing system design complexity and related code development workloads. The device has built-in public/private key asymmetric ECDSA (ECC-P256 curve) and other key security authentication algorithms, and OEMs do not need to develop dedicated device-level codes. The algorithms and other algorithms in the secure authentication IC provide the strongest protection against unauthorized components from compromising the performance, security and data integrity of the system.

     The 1-Wire interface provides power and data communication over a single pin, requiring only 2 wires including ground. Fewer interface pins connect the ECU to the remote end with a minimum number of cable harnesses, effectively reducing costs and further improving reliability. The DS28E40 is available in a small, 4mm x 3mm TDFN package and operates over the -40°C to +125°C temperature range.