3.3 Cryptographic Accelerator Module (CAM)
Some dsPIC33AK devices contain a hardware cryptographic accelerator module (CAM) intended to speed up cryptographic operations that would otherwise require software implementation. Refer to the device data sheet for the specific cryptographic algorithms supported by the device, as they vary between devices.
A link to the CAM driver software is found in Resources.
Important: The Cryptographic Accelerator Module (CAM)
provides hardware acceleration for cryptographic operations that require secret
information, such as private key generation, signing operations and symmetric
encryption. The dsPIC33A has hardware provisions to limit access regions of Flash memory
using the Flash Protection Regions, but it
does not provide secure key storage for physical attacks. For applications requiring
robust key/secret management, including symmetric and private key generation/storage or
side channel attack protection, Microchip strongly recommends the use of secure elements
(e.g., ATECC608, TA100). These devices provide hardware isolation for key material,
secure key rotation workflows and advanced anti-tamper protections. For implementation
details and example projects, refer to Microchip’s Trust Platform Design Suite and
CryptoAuthLib documentation linked in Resources.