Secure subsystem

An apparatus comprising:

• an internal memory device configured to receive, from outside the secure boundary, one or more secret data objects, the internal memory device further configured to store the one or more secret data objects not accessible by any systems or components external to the secure subsystem;
• one or more secure hardware registers located within a secure boundary and configured to receive a command to perform an operation using the one or more secret data objects received from outside the secure boundary;
• and
• one or more security assist hardware circuits coupled to the one or more secure hardware registers, respectively, the one or more security assist hardware circuits configured to perform discrete operations to access data using the one or more secret data objects,
• wherein the data accessed using the one or more secret data objects is provided to or by the one or more security assist hardware circuits and is not accessible from outside the secure boundary, and
• wherein the one or more secret data objects are keys for secure operations.

A method comprising:

• receiving, by one or more secure hardware registers of a plurality of secure hardware registers located in a secure subsystem within a secure boundary of an integrated circuit, a request to execute a secure operation involving one or more secret data objects encrypted by the secure subsystem, wherein the encrypted one or more secret data objects are stored outside the secure subsystem and inaccessible by any systems or components external to the secure subsystem;
• accessing, via or more security assist hardware circuits of a plurality of security assist hardware circuits, the one or more encrypted secret data objects with a key stored in the secure subsystem;
• and
• executing, via the one or more security assist hardware circuits, the secure operation on data using the one or more accessed secret data objects,
• wherein the one or more secret data objects are keys for secure operations.