A method of operating a mobile telecommunications device, the method comprising: providing, at the mobile telecommunications device, an authentication component; obtaining, at the mobile telecommunications device, a secret key, and component information associated with components of the mobile telecommunications device, the component information being at least one of a manufacturer information, model information, and/or a unique identifier; generating, at the mobile telecommunications device, a cryptographic value from the secret key and the component information by cryptographically processing the secret key and the component information; analyzing, at the mobile telecommunications device, a write-once indicator, and if the write-once indicator indicates that the cryptographic value has not been stored in the authentication component; storing, in the authentication component, the cryptographic value as a reference value, and if the write-once indicator indicates that the cryptographic value has been stored in the authentication component, reading, from the authentication component, the reference value; comparing, at the mobile communications device, the cryptographic value and the reference value; and determining, at the mobile telecommunications device, whether to allow or inhibit further operation of at least one of the plurality of hardware components based on the comparison of the cryptographic value and the reference value, such that if the cryptographic value and the reference value information matches, the further operation of the mobile telecommunications device may continue. providing, at the mobile telecommunications device, an authentication component; obtaining, at the mobile telecommunications device, a secret key, and component information associated with components of the mobile telecommunications device, the component information being at least one of a manufacturer information, model information, and/or a unique identifier; generating, at the mobile telecommunications device, a cryptographic value from the secret key and the component information by cryptographically processing the secret key and the component information; analyzing, at the mobile telecommunications device, a write-once indicator, and if the write-once indicator indicates that the cryptographic value has not been stored in the authentication component; storing, in the authentication component, the cryptographic value as a reference value, and if the write-once indicator indicates that the cryptographic value has been stored in the authentication component, reading, from the authentication component, the reference value; if the write-once indicator indicates that the cryptographic value has not been stored in the authentication component; storing, in the authentication component, the cryptographic value as a reference value, and if the write-once indicator indicates that the cryptographic value has been stored in the authentication component, reading, from the authentication component, the reference value; comparing, at the mobile communications device, the cryptographic value and the reference value; and determining, at the mobile telecommunications device, whether to allow or inhibit further operation of at least one of the plurality of hardware components based on the comparison of the cryptographic value and the reference value, such that if the cryptographic value and the reference value information matches, the further operation of the mobile telecommunications device may continue. <EOS>