5.8 Security
The PIC16F, PIC18F and PIC32CM MCUs offer different levels of hardware security. Table 5-31 provides a summary of available security features for each MCU architecture.
| Features/ Peripherals | PIC16F | PIC18F | PIC32CM M0+ | PIC32CM M23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Security Type | Basic | Basic | Essential | Advanced |
| Lock bits | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Hardware Secure boot | Software-based only | Software-based only | Software-based only | Supported |
| CRC | Supported | Supported | Supported | Supported |
| Write Access Control |
For system-critical registers, only through Configuration bits Program and Debug Interface Disable (PDID) |
For system-critical registers and memory regions, through Configuration bits Program and Debug Interface Disable (PDID) |
All peripherals Integrated in Peripheral Access Controller (PAC) Program and Debug Interface Disable (PDID) |
All peripherals Integrated in Peripheral Access Controller (PAC) Program and Debug Interface Disable (PDID) |
| Debug Support | ICSP™ (In-Circuit Serial Programming) | ICSP™ (In-Circuit Serial Programming) | Integrated in Device Service Unit (DSU) | Integrated in Device Service Unit (DSU) |
| TrustZone® | N/A | N/A | N/A | Supported |
| Hardware Crypto | Supported in legacy PIC16F with KeeLoq® | N/A | N/A | Cryptographic Accelerators True Random Number Generator (TRNG) Device Identity Composition Engine (DICE) support Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) |
| Tamper Detection | N/A | N/A | N/A | Supported |
Refer to the PIC32CM Additional Features and Peripherals section for additional information.