Securing the IoT starts at the core

Writing for NewElectronics, Ben Jun of the Cryptography Research division of Rambus says securing the Internet of Things (IoT) starts at the core.

“The risks associated with a rapidly growing IoT include privacy, unauthorized access, malicious control and denial of service,” he explains.

“[Multiple] companies are developing solutions to address a diverse set of security requirements across multiple platforms and chips. The most robust security approaches bake security into the initial design and manufacturing of a SoC.”

According to Jun, numerous deployment scenarios require that IoT devices be provisioned with credentials and keys before they leave the device vendor’s facility.

“In today’s systems, the process of key injection during fabrication and test operations could potentially expose vulnerable key data,” he continues.

“In addition, test and debug capabilities are often fully enabled on chips by default – a relatively common practice that inadvertently creates additional security challenges.”

To be sure, embracing a hardware-first strategy and implementing the necessary functionality on the SoC level is a key element of fully securing devices and platforms such as FPGAs, wearables, smartphones, tablets and intelligent appliances.

“Although many continue to take security for granted, the importance of adopting a hardware-based approach at the most basic core level cannot be overemphasized,” he concludes.

“Aside from ensuring fundamental chip security during manufacturing, embedding the right security IP core into a SoC can help manufacturers design devices, platforms and systems that remain secure throughout their respective lifecycles.”

Interested in learning more? The full text of “Outlook 2015: Securing the IoT starts at the core” can be read on NewElectronics here.