Wireless SoCs Get Hardware Security

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With legislation gradually being rolled out both in the U.S. and Europe for consumer IoT security, chip vendors are increasing awareness of hardware-based security for connected devices.

eetasia.com, Mar. 12, 2020 – 

When we talk about internet of things (IoT) security to any chip vendor, there's invariably a complaint that designers and manufacturers are not taking security seriously. A common reason is that it adds to the cost of a product, and why would anyone add it if it wasn't really essential? Or the other remark is security is often not designed in from the start, so when it's added as an afterthought, a device could still be easily compromised.

But government agencies around the world are gradually introducing legislation about the security of electronic systems. These measures include California's SB-327, which came into effect in January 2020; Europe's ETSI standard covering cyber security for consumer IoT; and the UK government's proposed new law on consumer IoT security. Vendors, meanwhile, are upping the game in creating awareness about IoT security.

One such announcement this week was from Silicon Labs, announcing new hardware-based security features for its wireless systems on chip (SoCs) for IoT devices. Its Secure Vault technology is a new suite of advanced security features designed to help connected device manufacturers address escalating IoT security threats and regulatory pressures. It has implemented these in its Wireless Gecko Series 2 platform, which combines security software features with physically unclonable function (PUF) hardware technology to reduce the risk of IoT security breaches and compromised intellectual property.

According to Silicon Labs, Secure Vault's hardware features provide an optimized level of security implemented in a cost-effective, wireless SoC solution. The security subsystem, including a dedicated core, bus and memory, is separate from the host processor. This hardware separation isolates critical features, such as secure key store management and cryptography, into their own functional areas, making the overall device more secure. The new combination of security features is ideal for companies working to address emerging regulatory measures, such as GDPR in Europe and SB-327 in California.

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