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How to get the serial number (and more) from an ftdi chip — Parallax Forums

How to get the serial number (and more) from an ftdi chip

Dave ScanlanDave Scanlan Posts: 160
edited 2010-01-27 18:41 in Robotics 
[color=#008000][color=#008000]'           HOW TO GET THE SERIAL NUMBER (AND MORE) FROM AN FTDI CHIP
'
'                          (VISUAL BASIC.NET 2005)
'***************************************************************************************
'IMPORTANCE: This example illustrates reading the manufacture's data on an FTDI chip.
' If a programmer can access the serial number on a FTDI chip used 
' on a device such as a USB RFID reader, the programmer can protect
' the software from improper distribution. The software would then
' be useless without that specific RFID reader.
' 
'REQUIREMENTS: (1) Microsoft Framework to at least Version 3.0.
' (2) Visual Basic.Net 2005
' (3) Visual Basic.Net 2008 (NOT TESTED, BUT SHOULD WORK OK)
' (4) REFERENCES to both FTChipIDNet.dll and FTChipID.dll
' NOTE: These dll's have been stored in the Bin\Debug directory.
'***************************************************************************************
'WHAT ID DATA ARE READ FROM THE ATTACHED FTDI CHIPS IN THIS EXAMPLE?
' (1) The number of USB devices using FTDI chips
' (2) Serial Number
' (3) Description
' (4) USB port location
' (5) Chip ID number
' NOTE: THE USB PORT MUST BE "CLOSED" WHEN READING FTDI CHIPS.
'
' Submitted by: Dave Scanlan
' Date of submission: December 9, 2009
'
' Many thanks to Chris Savage (Parallax) for his helpful comments as to where to find 
' the necessary dll's and programming information.
'
' The author/s assume/s no responsibility for the use of this code. This code is for
' educational purposes only.
''**************************************************************************************
[/color][/color]


SEE THE FILE BELOW FOR THE CODE


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exe
exe
Reading_FTDI_Data.exe
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GUI.jpg
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Comments

  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,392
    edited 2009-12-10 07:11
    Dave! Most importantly, welcome back to the forums! Great to see you back in the action again.

    Stop by some time and say hello, okay? We need to show you what's been changing at Parallax. And, I don't think we saw you at the UPEW meeting last June, either.

    Welcome!

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax Inc.
  • Dave ScanlanDave Scanlan Posts: 160
    edited 2009-12-10 15:50
    Hi Ken,

    Thanks for the nice welcome back! It's great to be interacting again with my favorate company: Parallax.

    When the semester is over, or before, I will take you up on your offer.

    Dave Scanlan

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  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2009-12-10 23:01
    Dave, I was glad to help and glad to see you back in the game.

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    Chris Savage

    Parallax Engineering
    Check out the new Savage Circuits TV!
    ·
  • Dave ScanlanDave Scanlan Posts: 160
    edited 2009-12-11 05:03
    Chris,

    Your help was appreciated and it's lots of fun getting involved again.

    Dave

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  • davejamesdavejames Posts: 4,047
    edited 2009-12-12 16:11
    Mr. Scalan,

    Thank you for the information. This opens up some interesting opportunities in the 'identification/protection' arena.

    BTW -->' You must ADD a REFERENCE to FTChipIDNet.dll and FTChipID.dll in order to use this example.

    I didn't have to do this, the app ran just fine.


    Regards,

    DJ

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  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2009-12-12 19:32
    Of course, anyone can change the serial number from their PC to anything they want, using FTDI's MPROG program. So I'm not sure that being able to key to a particular serial number adds any real security — except against those wanna-be miscreants who don't know about MPROG.

    -Phil
  • Dave ScanlanDave Scanlan Posts: 160
    edited 2009-12-13 22:46
    Hi DJ and Phil,

    When I teach courses on information systems, my main mantra is: ·"There is no such thing as a secure information system."

    It is true that the serial numbering system on the FTDI chip only gives minor security benefits. However, the developer can achieve a much higher level of security with·extremely obfuscated source code. (See URL below.)·

    http://sharptoolbox.com/categories/code-protectors-obfuscators

    http://www.vilabs.com/(X(1)S(j2meha45vi5c5145kulrdbyx))/solutions/codetheft.aspx?gclid=CKa54NqK1J4CFShGagodBSuasA&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

    Hopefully, unleashing one's creativity can make theft of the source code a very time-consuming·and expensive process.· I can think of four or five more ways to improve security that involve online updating and hidden code. If· we put our heads together, I am sure we could add six or·seven more ways.

    BUT, as you know, there is no perfect solution to the potential theft·of·source code.· The idea is to make the theft process difficult and expensive, and to keep the source code program price below the price of the time and effort required to steal the source code.

    In summary, having access to the FTDI chip's serial· number along with creative software security solutions will help deter theft.

    Dave





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    Post Edited (Dave Scanlan) : 12/14/2009 1:43:52 AM GMT
  • Dave ScanlanDave Scanlan Posts: 160
    edited 2009-12-13 23:19
    Hi DJ,

    If you were to use the code in another application, you would need to reference those two DLL's I listed.· The reason my code ran ok was because the two DLL's were already referenced in my program.· I should have been clearer.

    Dave





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  • davejamesdavejames Posts: 4,047
    edited 2009-12-14 04:28
    Mr. Scanlan - understood, thanks.

    Mr. Pi - "...those that don't know about MPROG." That's actually what I was thinking. The large target-market of my project definitely include non-technical people who would have no clue about the project's inner workings or the external tools available.

    And yes, twiddling the FTDI info would just limit the amount piracy...but anything is betting than nothing?


    DJ

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    Post Edited (davejames) : 12/14/2009 4:58:19 PM GMT
  • Dave ScanlanDave Scanlan Posts: 160
    edited 2009-12-17 03:32
    Hi DJ,

    RE: THE JACKPOT

    With further research I found what we have been looking for: a unique and permanent ID on the FTDI chip. The chip's ID which can be read, using the program I submitted on this thread, is unique and permanent.

    With this Chip-ID and an obfuscator, good protection for a developer's software can be provided. When I wrote the program, I did not know the properties of Chip-ID, but I had my suspicions.

    http://www.ftdichip.com/Projects/FTDIChip-ID.htm

    More security:
    http://www.ftdichip.com/Documents/ProgramGuides/SafeGuard%20IT%20V1.0%2009_08_07.pdf


    Dave

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    Post Edited (Dave Scanlan) : 12/17/2009 4:17:12 AM GMT
  • davejamesdavejames Posts: 4,047
    edited 2009-12-17 05:25
    Hi Dave - I PM'ed you.

    This is good news!

    DJ

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  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2009-12-17 22:53
    I'm coming in a bit late as well, but I too had thought there was a permanent ID on the chips, but when I quickly glanced through the datasheet itself I didn't see that. I think I saw it in a brochure file. But after reading your message, I am wondering if this isn't just the part ID and not a factory serial number. The serial number in EEPROM is set during testing. How many digits is the Chip-ID?

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    Chris Savage

    Parallax Engineering
    Check out the new Savage Circuits TV!
    ·
  • Dave ScanlanDave Scanlan Posts: 160
    edited 2009-12-17 23:52 
    I'm coming in a bit late as well, but I too had thought there was a permanent ID on the chips, but when I quickly glanced through the datasheet itself I didn't see that. I think I saw it in a brochure file. But after reading your message, I am wondering if this isn't just the part ID and not a factory serial number. The serial number in EEPROM is set during testing. How many digits is the Chip-ID?
 
Chris Savage


    Hi Chris,

    The Serial Number is the changeable number and the Chip-ID is the unique and permanent one.· The word "unique" is used to describe the Chip-ID, thus it is not just a part number, and the number is permanent...it can't be changed.

    It is (optionally)·up to the distributer to set the Serial Number to whatever value the distributer desires,·if they indeed want to change it from the factory settings.

    Great protection for the developer.

    Dave

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  • Mike_GTNMike_GTN Posts: 106
    edited 2009-12-19 16:27
    Hi Dave,

    Thank-you for providing this nice VB.NET code example. I also seemed to miss the fact that a unique ID was created for each device by the manufacturer. I can certainly see this as being of use to tie hardware to PC side application software.

    With regards

    Mike.
  • T ChapT Chap Posts: 4,223
    edited 2009-12-19 18:06
    Can the functionality of the dlls be simulated with a processor ie Propeller? In other words, can the unique ID be extracted with a processor alone as in Prop>FT232RL It seems this neat unique ID is only of value when connected to a PC, where the app can verify the ID with dll.

    Post Edited (Todd Chapman) : 12/19/2009 6:13:15 PM GMT
  • Dave ScanlanDave Scanlan Posts: 160
    edited 2009-12-20 18:58
    Hi·Mike

    Thanks for the appreciation.

    I plan to use the Chip-ID for tying my software to the device·for·protection and the changeable Serial Number as the device Serial Number that I will program starting with "xxx0001".

    Dave

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  • Dave ScanlanDave Scanlan Posts: 160
    edited 2009-12-20 19:10
    Hi Todd,

    With both Spin and its assembly, I see no reason why one could not access the Chip-ID.
    You will need to do some "digging" around.· Perhaps FTDI Corp might give you the roadmap, and·you supply the code.

    Great project for Prop lovers.

    Dave

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  • BradCBradC Posts: 2,601
    edited 2010-01-24 16:59
    I know I'm late to the party, but there are two obvious points of weakness here. One, is to simply create replacement dll's that give the program what it wants to hear. Very, very easy. In fact, as ftdi have kindly published the interfaces to their dll's, it's really not rocket science at all. Even if you created a simple shim that manipulated the serial number calls and passed through the remainder to the original dll.

    Second is to simply program a PIC or AVR with a full-speed USB interface to emulate an FTDI chip and return the serial number of your choice. By looking at the driver code in the Linux kernel, you can very quickly get a handle on the URB structure required to emulate the device. You'd probably even manage it on the Propeller in Windows, as Windows does not obey the non-bulk endpoints for LOW_SPEED USB rules. The FTDI drivers are not incredibly fussy about what they walk to, as long as the urb's are formatted correctly.

    Whatever man can create, man can undo.

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    Life may be "too short", but it's the longest thing we ever do.
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2010-01-27 18:41
    The only thing I haven't seen is support in that library for which COM port each chip references.

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    Chris Savage

    Parallax Engineering
    Check out the new Savage Circuits TV!
    ·
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