# US 2019/0171819 A1 · Secure firmware provisioning and device binding mechanism > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0171819 A1 - Document ID: US20190171819A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/175,699 - Filed: 2018-10-30 - Published: 2019-06-06 - Earliest claimed: 2017-12-01 - Assignees: STMicroelectronics S.r.l. - Applicants: STMicroelectronics, Inc. - Inventors: Maurizio Gentili; Massimo Panzica - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190171819A1 ## CPC - G06F 21/572: {Secure firmware programming, e.g. of basic input output system [BIOS]} - G06F 12/1408: {by using cryptography (for digital transmission H04L9/00)} - G06F 21/575: {Secure boot} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract Electronic computing devices provide a method to update firmware. The method includes receiving a firmware image at an electronic device, the electronic device having a processor and a memory arranged to store instructions executed by the processor. In the electronic device, a unique device identifier is retrieved and a random number is generated. The generated random number is securely stored. The random number and a representation of the unique device identifier are computationally combined to create a device-binding value, and an address-offset is generated from the device-binding value. The firmware image is stored in the memory at the address-offset. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A firmware update method, comprising: receiving a firmware image at an electronic device, the electronic device having a processor and a memory arranged to store instructions executed by the processor; retrieving a unique device identifier; generating a random number; securely storing the generated random number; computationally combining the random number and a representation of the unique device identifier to create a device-binding value; generating an address-offset from the device-binding value; and storing the firmware image in the memory at the address-offset. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising: mapping a plurality of firmware functions in a vector table based on the address-offset; interrupting the processor; retrieving an interrupt vector from the vector table; and executing instructions retrieved from the memory based on the interrupt vector. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1 wherein the firmware image is received at the electronic device wirelessly. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising: encrypting the unique device identifier to generate the representation of the unique device identifier. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A method according to claim 4 wherein encrypting the unique device identifier includes executing an encryption function from a secure element, the secure element separate from the memory arranged to store instructions executed by the processor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1 wherein generating the random number includes executing a random number generation function from a secure element, the secure element separate from the memory arranged to store instructions executed by the processor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1 wherein securely storing the generated random number includes securely storing the generated random number in a secure element, the secure element separate from the memory arranged to store instructions executed by the processor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1 wherein computationally combining the random number and the representation of the unique device identifier to create the device-binding value includes: accepting the random number and the representation of the unique device identifier as inputs to a logic function, the device-binding value produced as an output of the logic function. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A method according to claim 8 wherein the logic function includes an exclusive-OR logic function. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1 wherein generating the address-offset from the device-binding value includes: isolating a determined number of bits of the device-binding value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising: identifying a first address in the memory; and storing obfuscation data in the memory between the first address and the address-offset. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, further comprising: booting the electronic device; retrieving the unique device identifier; retrieving the generated random number; computationally combining the random number and the representation of the unique device identifier to create the device-binding value; generating the address-offset from the device-binding value; and executing with the processor instructions retrieved from the memory at address locations based on the address-offset. ### Claim 13 A portable computing device, comprising: a processor; a memory arranged to store instructions executed by the processor; and boot-loader logic, the boot-loader logic including boot-loader instructions executable by the processor to: retrieve a unique device identifier; generate a random number; securely store the generated random number; computationally combine the random number and a representation of the unique device identifier to create a device-binding value; and generate an address-offset from the device-binding value. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) A portable computing device according to claim 13 wherein the boot-loader logic includes a hardware-based encryption module and a hardware-based true random number generator. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) A portable computing device according to claim 13, further comprising: a secure element, the secure element including secure memory to store the generated random number; and encryption logic, the encryption logic arranged to generate the representation of the unique device identifier. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) A portable computing device according to claim 13 wherein the portable computing device is a mobile phone device, an Internet-of-Things (IoT) device, or a wearable computing device. ### Claim 17 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium whose stored contents configure a computing system to perform a boot-loader method, the boot-loader method comprising: generating a random number; securely storing the generated random number in a first memory; creating a device-binding value by computationally combining the generated random number with a value that uniquely represents a portable device; generating an address-offset from the device-binding value; and storing information in a second memory based on the address-offset. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17 whose stored contents configure the computing system to perform the boot-loader method, wherein the information stored in the second memory is firmware arranged to direct operations of the portable device. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17 whose stored contents configure the computing system to perform the boot-loader method, wherein the first memory is a secure element separate and distinct from the second memory. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 17 whose stored contents configure the computing system to perform the boot-loader method, the boot-loader method further comprising: retrieving a unique device identifier; and encrypting the unique device identifier to generate the value that uniquely represents the portable device.