Design and Implementation of a Secure Bootloader Using Public Key Cryptography Research

Abstract-A secure bootloader plays a critical role in ensuring the integrity and authenticity of firmware during system startup. Traditional bootloaders lack robust security mechanisms, making them vulnerable to tampering and malware injections. Public Key Cryptography (PKC) provides a strong foundation for secure bootloaders by enabling digital signatures and authentication mechanisms to verify firmware integrity before execution. This research explores the design and implementation of a secure bootloader using Public Key Cryptography to prevent unauthorized modifications and ensure a trusted execution environment. The proposed bootloader employs asymmetric encryption to verify signed firmware images using RSA or ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography). Additionally, hash-based verification techniques such as SHA-256 are used to ensure firmware integrity. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that the proposed bootloader effectively prevents unauthorized code execution, ensuring a secure boot process with minimal performance overhead. This paper discusses the system architecture, cryptographic implementation, evaluation metrics, and future research directions for enhancing bootloader security.