Apparatus and method for modifying microprocessor system at random and maintaining equivalent functionality in spite of modification, and the same microprocessor system

摘要

The present invention discloses a method for randomizing a microprocessor system, such as an IC card, in order to prevent the microprocessor system from being tampered with. The method ensures that the randomized microprocessor system realizes a functionality equivalent to that of an original microprocessor system and enables easy modification of a configuration of the microprocessor system. In the context of this disclosure, to randomize a microprocessor system means to randomize a microprocessor and a program included in the microprocessor system while maintaining an equivalence of functionality realized by the microprocessor system regardless of this randomization. According to the present invention, the method for randomizing a microprocessor system performing a given functionality consists in (a) randomizing items stored in a memory in accordance with randomizing information, and (b) randomizing a microprocessor so as to allow the microprocessor to have an access to the randomized items stored in the memory. Thus, a randomized microprocessor system performing a functionality equivalent to the given functionality is generated.