diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index ab7528927..c5d5227bc 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -1527,6 +1527,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "root-keys",
  "sha2",
  "spinor",
+ "subtle",
  "susres",
  "ticktimer-server",
  "trng",
@@ -2278,9 +2279,9 @@ checksum = "73473c0e59e6d5812c5dfe2a064a6444949f089e20eec9a2e5506596494e4623"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "subtle"
-version = "2.4.0"
+version = "2.4.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "1e81da0851ada1f3e9d4312c704aa4f8806f0f9d69faaf8df2f3464b4a9437c2"
+checksum = "6bdef32e8150c2a081110b42772ffe7d7c9032b606bc226c8260fd97e0976601"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "susres"
diff --git a/services/pddb/Cargo.toml b/services/pddb/Cargo.toml
index 099634370..97c4e6257 100644
--- a/services/pddb/Cargo.toml
+++ b/services/pddb/Cargo.toml
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ cipher = "0.3.0"
 bitfield = "0.13.2"
 aes-gcm-siv = "0.10.3"
 llio = {path="../llio"}
+subtle = {version = "2.4.1", default-features = false}
 
 # passwords
 sha2 = {path = "../engine-sha512"}
diff --git a/services/pddb/src/backend/hw.rs b/services/pddb/src/backend/hw.rs
index a587a8faf..67bd64d3d 100644
--- a/services/pddb/src/backend/hw.rs
+++ b/services/pddb/src/backend/hw.rs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ use aes::{Aes256, Block, BLOCK_SIZE};
 use aes::cipher::{BlockDecrypt, BlockEncrypt, NewBlockCipher, generic_array::GenericArray};
 use root_keys::api::AesRootkeyType;
 use spinor::SPINOR_BULK_ERASE_SIZE;
+use subtle::ConstantTimeEq;
 use core::ops::{Deref, DerefMut};
 use core::mem::size_of;
 
@@ -1171,33 +1172,21 @@ impl PddbOs {
 
         let (kenc, kcom) = self.kcom_func(key.try_into().unwrap(), &nonce_comm);
         let cipher = Aes256GcmSiv::new(Key::from_slice(&kenc));
-        match cipher.decrypt(
+
+        // Attempt decryption. This is None on failure
+        let plaintext = cipher.decrypt(
             Nonce::from_slice(nonce),
             Payload {
                 aad,
                 msg: &ct_plus_mac,
             }
-        ) {
-            Ok(data) => {
-                assert!(data.len() == KCOM_CT_LEN, "authentication successful, but wrong amount of data was recovered");
-                if kcom == key_comm_stored {
-                    Some(data)
-                } else {
-                    log::debug!("Key commitment failed to match on a reputed basis root block");
-                    None
-                }
-            },
-            Err(e) => {
-                // do the commit check again at the same point, even if there is an error, for some semblance of constant time
-                // (of course the error messages leak information, if they are forced on)
-                if kcom == key_comm_stored {
-                    log::trace!("Error decrypting page: {:?}", e); // sometimes this is totally "normal", like when we're testing for valid data.
-                    None
-                } else {
-                    log::trace!("Error decrypting page + commitment error: {:?}", e);
-                    None
-                }
-            }
+        ).ok();
+
+        // Only return the plaintext if the stored key commitment agrees with the computed one
+        if kcom.ct_eq(&key_comm_stored).into() {
+            plaintext
+        } else {
+            None
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/xtask/src/main.rs b/xtask/src/main.rs
index 25022994d..324360e7d 100644
--- a/xtask/src/main.rs
+++ b/xtask/src/main.rs
@@ -166,11 +166,35 @@ fn main() -> Result<(), Box<dyn std::error::Error>> {
     let kkey = args.nth(4);
     match task.as_deref() {
         Some("renode-image") => {
-            generate_app_menus(&vec!["ball".to_string()]);
+            let mut args = env::args();
+            args.nth(1);
+            let mut pkgs = hw_pkgs.to_vec();
+            let mut apps: Vec<String> = args.collect();
+            if apps.len() == 0 { // add the standard demo apps if none are specified
+                println!("No apps specified, adding default apps...");
+                apps.push("ball".to_string());
+                apps.push("repl".to_string());
+            }
+            for app in &apps {
+                pkgs.push(app);
+            }
+            generate_app_menus(&apps);
             renode_image(false, &hw_pkgs, &[])?
         },
         Some("renode-test") => {
-            generate_app_menus(&vec!["ball".to_string()]);
+            let mut args = env::args();
+            args.nth(1);
+            let mut pkgs = hw_pkgs.to_vec();
+            let mut apps: Vec<String> = args.collect();
+            if apps.len() == 0 { // add the standard demo apps if none are specified
+                println!("No apps specified, adding default apps...");
+                apps.push("ball".to_string());
+                apps.push("repl".to_string());
+            }
+            for app in &apps {
+                pkgs.push(app);
+            }
+            generate_app_menus(&apps);
             renode_image(false, &cbtest_pkgs, &[])?
         },
         Some("libstd-test") => {