Encrypted Mass Storage
TROPIC01 provides a native, hardware-isolated PIN verification engine designed to protect mass storage encryption keys independently of host operating system protocols.
Preserve standard access without exposing the keys
Standard mass storage protocols require a USB device to be directly accessible and writable to the system host. However, introducing cryptography creates a critical architectural vulnerability: where the encryption key is handled and stored. If the host operating system processes the key, the data remains exposed to software-level attacks and unauthorized extraction.
Encrypted mass storage addresses this risk by combining the standard mass storage protocol with an internal encryption and decryption layer controlled entirely by the mass storage device itself, not the system host. By ensuring that cryptographic keys never leave the hardware boundary, the attack surface is significantly reduced. Integrating TROPIC01 allows developers to maintain standard user access and writability while anchoring data security in isolated, auditable hardware.
Hardware security you can trust
Mac-and-Destroy Feature
Blocks brute-forcing natively within the physical hardware through the Mac-and-Destroy silicon-level brute-force protected PIN verification engine.
Truly secure and auditable chip
Leveraging TROPIC01’s verified, secure hardware design serves as a premium feature for high-tier product lines. TROPIC01 becomes a foundation for eliminating the blind spots of security-by-obscurity.
PIN entry directly on device
Routes user authentication directly into the chip rather than the host OS. This ensures sensitive cryptographic keys never leave the secure hardware boundary.
User-activated flows
Users can access, read, and write data without additional software friction or changes to their workflow.
Secure authentication at the silicon level
The TROPIC01 secure element integrates into mass storage devices to secure cryptographic workflows entirely within hardware, eliminating host-level software vulnerabilities.
Silicon level Mac-and-Destroy engine
The TROPIC01 chip features the Mac-And-Destroy PIN verification engine, providing hardware-level mitigation against automated credential attacks. The engine processes the user input to derive the storage encryption key, enforcing strict, audited verification limits natively within the silicon substrate to permanently block unauthorized access attempts.
Direct Device PIN Entry
User authentication takes place entirely through the TROPIC01 chip via a patented hardware verification scheme. This ensures an auditable, transparent security architecture that keeps user credentials fully isolated from host-level vulnerabilities.
Encryption key on device MCU
The encryption/decryption layer is managed on the mass storage device MCU. TROPIC01 executes the secure PIN verification and outputs the derived root key directly to the cryptographic peripheral of the companion mass storage MCU, ensuring keys are never exposed to the host operating system.
Native Protocol Access
TROPIC01 is architected for local user authentication, augmenting standard data-plane decryption protocols. Users can access, read, and write to the encrypted mass storage solution without altering standard host-side software interactions.
