Examples of the disclosure include a host system comprising an authentication communication medium interface configured to be communicatively coupled to a connected module, a secure communication medium interface, and a controller configured to detect a connection of the connected module to the host system over a physical communication connection, generate an authentication challenge, provide the authentication challenge to the connected module over a physical authentication connection via the authentication communication medium interface, receive a challenge response to the authentication challenge from the connected module via the authentication communication medium interface, verify the challenge response, and grant the connected module access to host system data over the physical communication connection via the secure communication medium interface based on successful verification of the challenge response.