A system and method for preventing unauthorized access to the software of
a semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device of the
present invention includes a memory buffer in the data path between the
processor core of the device and the memory of the device. A password for
providing full communication in the data path is stored in a defined
location in the memory. Upon reading the memory location, the password is
provided to a code security module. The password provided to the code
security module is compared to a data string provided by the user. If the
password and the data string match, the password data path is open for
communication between the memory and the processor core. If the password
and data string do not match, the password data path is closed to
communication between the memory and the processor core.