Intel® Arria® 10 Hard Processor System Technical Reference Manual

ID 683711
Date 8/28/2023
Public
Document Table of Contents

10.6. TrustZone*

As platforms allow more outside application downloads and as sensitive data is shared on devices, risks of hardware or data asset attacks rise. The Cortex* -A9 MPU subsystem has integrated TrustZone* technology which provides a system solution to protect application platforms from malicious attack. The TrustZone* hardware and supporting software are designed to provide a strong security solution regardless of the operating environment. TrustZone* creates a separation between the secure and non-secure areas of the SoC and allows the designer to choose which assets in a design are designated as secure and non-secure.

TrustZone* security is implemented in the Cortex* -A9 MPU subsystem in three ways:

  • Hardware partitioning: Resources can be assigned and identified as secure or non-secure.
  • Virtual processor execution: Each core can context switch between secure and non-secure operation.
  • Secure debug control: The MPU subsystem provides both secure and non-secure hardware debug features. The type of debug allowed can be configured by the user.