Secure Boot - 2024.2 English - UG1209

Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC Embedded Design Tutorial (UG1209)

Document ID
UG1209
Release Date
2025-01-07
Version
2024.2 English

The secure boot functionality in Zynq devices allows you to support the confidentiality, integrity, and authentication of partitions.

Secure boot in Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoCs is accomplished by combining the Hardware Root of Trust (HWRoT) capabilities with the option of encrypting all boot partitions. The HWRoT is based on the RSA-4096 asymmetric algorithm with SHA-3/384, which is hardware accelerated. Confidentiality is provided using 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard Galois Counter Mode (AES-GCM).

This section focuses on how to use and implement the following:

  • Hardware Root of Trust with key revocation

  • Partition encryption with differential power analysis (DPA) countermeasures

  • Black key storage using the physically unclonable function (PUF)

The section Secure Boot System Design Decisions outlines high-level secure boot decisions which should be made early in design development.

The Hardware Root of Trust section discusses the use of a Root of Trust (RoT) in boot.

The Boot Image Confidentiality and DPA section discusses the use of the operational key and key rolling techniques as countermeasures to a DPA attack. Changing the AES key reduces the exposure of both the key and the data protected by the key.

A red key is a key in unencrypted format. The Black Key Storage section provides a method for storing the AES key in encrypted, or black format. Black key storage uses the physically unclonable function (PUF) as a Key Encryption Key (KEK).

The Example: Practical Methods in Secure Boot section provides steps to develop and test systems that use AES encryption and RSA authentication.