Editing Secure cryptoprocessor (section)

{{short description|Device used for encryption}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2016}}
[[File:WE 229G die.JPG|thumb|[[Western Electric]] 229G cryptoprocessor]]

A '''secure cryptoprocessor''' is a dedicated [[System-on-a-chip|computer-on-a-chip]] or [[microprocessor]] for carrying out [[cryptographic]] operations, embedded in a packaging with multiple [[physical security]] measures, which give it a degree of [[tamper resistance]].  Unlike cryptographic processors that output decrypted data onto a bus in a secure environment, a secure cryptoprocessor does not output decrypted data or decrypted program instructions in an environment where security cannot always be maintained.

The purpose of a secure cryptoprocessor is to act as the keystone of a security subsystem, eliminating the need to protect the rest of the subsystem with physical security measures.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Digital rights management : concepts, methodologies, tools, and applications|date=2013|publisher=Information Science Reference (an imprint of IGI Global)|others=Information Resources Management Association.|isbn=9781466621374|location=Hershey, Pa.|pages=609|oclc=811354252}}</ref>