Patent ID: 7836516

Claim:
A method of protecting at least one electronic component of a product against illicit manipulation and/or unauthorized access, characterized by the following method steps: (i) checking that at least one activation condition is met by means of at least one activating unit, (ii) if at least one activation condition is met, recognition of this fact and the desired effects it is to have are placed in store in coded form in at least one memory element that is used for starting-up the component, and at the next attempt to start up the product; reading out the activation condition; and (iii) in response to the activation condition, activating at least one preventing unit that is connected to the activating unit and at least partly de-activating the operation of the component and/or at least partly destroying the component, by means of the preventing unit; characterized in that the at least partial de-activation of the operation of the component and/or the at least partial destruction of the component is carried out during the start-up of the product by (j=1) preventing an internal oscillator from beginning to oscillate; (j=2) preventing an oscillator for an external clock signal from beginning to oscillate; (j=4) preventing the build-up of a high voltage; and (j=7) switching on an increased current drain in the operating state or the quiescent state.