Maxim secures smart grid infrastructure with security manager

PARIS – Maxim Integrated Products Inc. has introduced the MAX36025 tamper-reactive cryptographic-node controller with non-imprinting memory to add secure encryption to critical points of data aggregation within the smart grid.


With its dual encryption engines, authentication and tamper-detection hierarchy, Maxim said the MAX36025 is meant to be a security manager that can be placed at the access point/data concentrator in a smart grid network to add security to these crucial points of data aggregation.

The MAX36025 employs a tamper-reactive dual AES cryptographic engine architecture that aims to ease the cost effective implementation of multiple cipher channels across compartmentalized system nodes and storage elements.

The MAX36025 includes on-chip non-imprinting memory that incorporates a high-speed, direct-wired clearing function. The memory is constantly complemented in the background to prevent memory imprinting of data. The MAX36025 architecture allows the user to clear selective banks of the memory based upon specified tamper events. In the event of a qualified tamper, the desired bank(s) of memory are rapidly cleared and a negative bias can be applied to erase external memory.

MAX36025 physical layers of security:
• On-chip secure key storage (in the nonimprinting memory)
• On-chip nonimprinting memory with high-speed tamper-reactive erase
• A temperature sensor with a proprietary rate-of-change detector to sense extreme changes in temperature that signal a physical attack.
• 81-ball CSBGA package exposes no leads to which an attacker can attach.

Temperature range:
• Operates over the -55 °C to +95 °C temperature range.


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