Things were more laid back in the 1970s and ’80s, when code was stored unencrypted in standard EPROM chips, or, for high-volume applications, in mask ROMs integrated in microcontrollers.

Things were more laid back in the 1970s and ’80s, when code was stored unencrypted in standard EPROM chips, or, for high-volume applications, in mask ROMs integrated in microcontrollers.

Mask ROM (MROM) chips contain a software mask that is burned onto the chip during the design phase of the semiconductor manufacturing process. In high volumes, mask read-only memory (ROM) is a ...