GoKawiilResearchers use laser fault injection to bypass RP2350 secure debug lock
Security researchers demonstrated that Raspberry Pi's RP2350 microcontroller (revision A4) can have its permanently disabled Secure debug re-enabled through photon-emission microscopy combined with SWD-guided laser fault injection. By pinpointing the exact register controlling debug enablement and firing precisely targeted laser pulses, the team flipped two bits to restore debugger access to the chip's Secure world, later extracting a protected secret from one-time-programmable memory after a rescue reset bypassed the runtime lock.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
This shows that even chips explicitly hardened against physical attacks and stress-tested through public bug bounty programs remain vulnerable to sophisticated, well-funded hardware attacks. While the roughly $250,000 equipment cost and destructive chip preparation limit this to nation-state or specialized lab scenarios, it underscores that permanent fuse-based security settings are not absolute against determined physical adversaries, which matters for high-security embedded deployments.
- Photon-emission microscopy located the exact debug-enable register before laser injection targeted it precisely.
- Two bit flips via laser pulses restored Secure debug access despite it being permanently disabled in OTP memory.
- The attack demanded roughly $250,000 in lab equipment and physical chip access, making it impractical for casual attackers but feasible for well-resourced actors.
Raspberry Pi RP2350 Pico 2 Board — If you're diving into the security architecture of the RP2350, having your own Pico 2 board on hand makes it easy to experiment with its Secure Boot, TrustZone, and OTP features firsthand. It's the same chip discussed in this deep dive into laser fault injection and debug security, letting hobbyists and researchers alike explore microcontroller security concepts hands-on.
See Raspberry Pi RP2350 Pico 2 Board on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: donjon.ledger.com, 2026-09-18
Published there as: “Photon-Emission-Guided Laser Fault Injection Enables RP2350 Secure Debug”
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