General purpose M33 microcontroller certified to PSA Level 3 security

STMicroelectronics has certified its general purpose STM32U585 ARM Cortex-M33 microcontroller for PSA Certified Level-3 and SESIP security.
The STM32U585 microcontroller passed tests for logical, board, and basic physical resistance that confirm a substantial level of cyber protection. With tamper resistance and software protection, the STM32U585 is also suitable for controlling PIN Transaction Security (PTS) equipment that must satisfy Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) requirements.

Typically, achieving recognition as an official PTS Approved Device requires a dedicated security chip to resist online and side-channel attacks, with a separate microcontroller (MCU) to manage features such as the keyboard, display, and USB connection. The STM32U585 can now consolidate all these capabilities, enabling a simplified design and streamlining production logistics from purchasing and inventory management to final assembly. Terminal makers can also test and certify their products to applicable standards such as PCI PTS v6 for the design and production of Point-Of-Sale (POS) and self-service payment terminals.

The STM32U585 is compliant with ARM Trusted Base System Architecture (TBSA) requirements and features ARM TrustZone architecture. Numerous typical security features for connected devices are included, including cryptographic accelerators, secure data storage, secure firmware installation, secure boot, and secure firmware update.

Additional security features include internal monitoring that erases secret data in the event of a perturbation attack, which contributes towards meeting PCI SSC requirements for POS applications. Further protection includes hardening of encryption of symmetric and asymmetric public-key accelerators (AES, PKA) against attacks with side-channel analysis (SCA), a hardware key for secure data storage, and built-in active tamper detection.

The controller is built on a 40nm process and includes two analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), two digital-to-analog converter (DAC) channels, two op-amps, two comparators, and multiple timer channels including general-purpose, low-power, and PWM motor-control timers.  Autonomous peripherals that can operate while the main circuitry sleeps to save energy, and selectable voltage regulators that cut dynamic consumption to under 19µA/MHz.

The STM32U585 is a key element of ST’s STM32Trust security framework that brings together knowledge, STM32 MCUs and MPUs, STSAFE common criteria certified secure elements, tools, hardware and software, and design services to help developers protect their designs and ensure secure connectivity and system integrity.

The STM32U585 is in production now in a 7mm x 7mm UFBGA169 package.