Abstract: In an embodiment an integrated circuit comprises a plurality of ports. Of a plurality of gating circuits, each gating circuit blocks or grants access to at least one of the ports depending on a release signal. From a plurality of configuration registers, each configuration register for stores the information to which group a gating circuit of the plurality of gating circuits belongs. A tag evaluation circuit receives an identifier from an access request from a component and outputs a group identifier for the access. There is a plurality of comparison circuits. Each comparison circuit compares the group identifier with the content of one of the configuration registers and outputs the release signal to a gating circuit of the plurality of gating circuits.