PEmicro Blog

NXP: Secure Boot Programming for NXP LPC55Sxx Processors

Jun 14, 2022

PEmicro's Secure Boot Utility is now updated to support NXP's LPC55Sxx processors. The LPC55Sxx secure boot feature is a key component in protecting embedded devices as security threats increase both in volume and complexity. PEmicro’s Secure Boot Utility is a graphical user interface which configures Secure Boot for applications running on LPC55Sxx devices and sets device security features to inhibit copying or misuse.  Functionality includes signing applications, generating keys and certificates, setting security options, and running a security analysis of all settings.

The Secure Boot Utility automates building secure boot binary files and is used in the process of generating encrypted secure boot programming images for manufacturing.  The goal is to make sure the user's application data is secure in both the manufacturing stage and when devices are deployed in the field. The tool includes a security analyzer which grades the user's security choices based on how secure it will leave the device after programming.

The Secure Boot Utility is integrated into the Cyclone production programming software and included with the PROGARM programming software.

What is Secure Boot?

Protecting embedded systems from attacks continues to be a major concern for developers. As these attacks become more sophisticated, processors are implementing more advanced security measures to prevent their systems from being compromised. One such example is the secure boot options available on NXP’s LPC55Sxx processors. The below video describes the basic secure boot concepts for NXP's i.MX RT processors, which are very similar to that of the LPC55Sxx:

Video Overview - Secure Boot Concepts and Utility Overview

Once playing, gear icon can be used to adjust streaming quality.

The fundamental principle of secure boot is that the embedded system should only run trusted, authorized code. This is achieved by using asymmetric cryptography to include a digital signature with the application code. Any modification to the code requires a new signature to be calculated. During boot-up, only the presence of a valid signature allows the application code to execute. The application code together with the digital signature is called a signed image. PRINCE can be enabled to provide an additional layer of security by encrypting the on-chip flash contents.

Enabling Secure Boot

Enabling secure boot on the LPC55Sxx processors requires programming of two distinct regions:

  • The signed image is programmed to internal flash memory
  • The secure boot options and optional PRINCE keycodes are configured by writing to the Protected Flash Region (PFR) on the LPC55Sxx processor.

Secure Boot Utility

Secure boot on LPC55Sxx provides many advantages, but can be very challenging to configure correctly. During development, secure boot is typically left disabled to make debugging easier. For many users, properly enabling secure boot and transitioning to production is a daunting task - there are many distinct steps involved, and it is very difficult to narrow down the problem when things are not working. PEmicro’s Secure Boot Utility simplifies the entire secure boot process by providing an intuitive user interface that provides informative feedback during each step. User input is straightforward but also flexible enough to accommodate custom configurations. It addresses all of the typical challenges faced by users, such as:

  • PFR options: The Secure Boot Utility determines all of the necessary PFR values to enable the secure boot settings based on the user’s inputs. The user is also allowed to specify custom values, if needed. 
  • Certificate variations: The Secure Boot Utility supports both self-signed and chain signed certificates.
  • PRINCE keycodes: Each keycode protects a distinct flash memory region and requires a special enrollment/provisioning process, all of which is handled by the Secure Boot Utility. 
  • Sensitive security information: All security information is saved into a single PEKeyFile collection, alleviating the need to maintain private/public key certificates separately. This information can be shared across different products for ease of use. During production programming, the stand-alone programming files used by PEmicro’s Cyclone products do not expose any security information (more details below).

The Secure Boot Utility produces both the flash and fuse contents required to enable secure boot:

Secure Boot Utility Walkthrough

The Secure Boot Utility is separated into two sections: user inputs and real-time feedback. As user inputs are changed, the utility provides informative details on the effect of those changes. In this walkthrough, we will go through an example of enabling a signed image on the LPC55S69. The Secure Boot Utility User Manual contains additional technical information and details beyond the scope of this walkthrough.

Keys/Certificates

After selecting the Processor part number, we need to create a new Key Collection file which will store all security information:

We are now prompted to specify where the private/public certificates come from. These certificates are used to produce the secure boot digital signature. Previously generated certificates can be imported manually or from a MCUXpresso Secure Provisioning Tool workspace. In this example, we will rely on the Secure Boot Utility to generate brand new certificates, and we save the key collection with the “project_keys.pekeyfile” filename.

User Application

Next, we will specify the unsigned user application. Our example uses a blinking LED project compiled in NXP’s MCUXpresso toolchain. 

Secure Boot Mode and Signing Certificate

Next we specify the desired Secure Boot mode and the certificate we would like to use for the digital signature. We will use the first certificate here (ROT1).

If PRINCE is selected, we will also need to specify the flash ranges that we wish to encrypt. The simplest option is to encrypt the entire flash, but custom ranges can also be specified, with each region protected by a different PRINCE key.


Additional Options

Finally, the last user input section allows us to specify any custom PFR fields that we’d like to program as well as the security settings. We enable Secure Boot to force the processor to only boot images with a valid digital signature.

Reviewing Changes

As the inputs are changed, the numerous information tabs in the Feedback section of the utility will update in real-time. We can review these details to gain insight into the various aspects of secure boot.


The Fuse Output Overview tab details all PFR values that will be programmed. Any custom values will also appear here. 

Finally, the Security Overview tab will analyze how secure our product will be using the given options. We see that there are some weaknesses in our setup. An attacker can gain unauthorized debug access and potentially duplicate our product because we did not enable any JTAG security and did not seal the CMPA to prevent modification. For users who are still in development, it is ok to move ahead with these warnings, but for production, these security flaws must be addressed.

Generating the boot image

We are now ready to click on the “Generate Boot Image” button. The Build Results log will provide feedback of the build process and alert the user if there are any errors. 

Output Files

The Secure Boot Utility creates three output files:

  • The .srec file contains the signed image. This will be programmed into the internal flash.

  • The .OPT file contains the values to be programmed into the PFR of the LPC55xx processor. This includes both CFPA and CMPA regions.

  • The .cfg file is a PEmicro compatible programming script that contains the proper sequence to program the flash and fuse contents. 


Programming to target board

Inspecting the .cfg file shows us the sequence of commands to program our board for secure boot. In our example, we can observe the distinct the flash and fuse programming sections:



These commands are compatible with PEmicro’s Cyclone production programmers and  PEmicro’s PROGACMP programming software. After programming is complete, secure boot is enabled on the target board. 

Production Programming

PEmicro’s Cyclone Image Creation Utility can automatically link a Secure Boot Utility project (.sbp) file to the image creation process. Each time a Cyclone image is created, the Secure Boot Utility is automatically invoked to generate the latest flash (.srec) and fuse (.OPT) files to be included into the image. This helps streamline the secure boot process for users ready to move into the production programming phase of their projects.


Production programming also presents unique security challenges. Sensitive security information that must be programmed (ROT hash, signed image binary) cannot be inadvertently exposed during the programming process. The stand-alone programming (SAP) files used by the Cyclone allow this sensitive information to be encapsulated and given to a third-party contract manufacturer without allowing the sensitive information to be accessed. The Stand Alone Programming Image (eSAP) can be encrypted so that it is only usable on Cyclone which have been provisioned with the appropriate cryptography keys. The build process of an eSAP image looks like this:



For more information on production programming with secure boot, please see our follow-up article with video demonstration

Tags related to this Blog Post

Cyclone     Cyclone FX     Multilink     Multilink FX     Prog ACMP     NXP     Production Programming