An essential component of a secure root of trust is secure storage. Secure storage ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data assets that are essential to the operation and security of the device. These data assets can include encryption keys, certificates, device configuration settings, and more. Secure storage protects critical assets from unauthorized access or modification, preventing data leakage, tampering or corruption that could compromise the overall security or safety of the application system. Secure storage of encryption keys and credentials is required to establish a secure root of trust. In a secure microcontroller, these assets are typically stored in non-volatile memory such as Flash or e-fuse arrays. Additionally, hardcoded protections that block direct read or write accesses by runtime application software are required, restricting access to immutable firmware such as ROM code or hardware loaders.