Simplified hardware-based IoT security for deployments of any size

As the number and types of connected devices proliferate, market fragmentation and security vulnerabilities in the IoT have created notable challenges for developers. Hardware-based security is the only way to defend secret keys from physical attacks and remote extraction, but comprehensive security expertise, development time and costs are needed to configure and provision each device. To address this demand in the mass market, Microchip Technology has introduced what is claimed to be the industry’s first pre-provisioned solution that offers secure key storage for low, mid and high-volume device deployments using the ATECC608A secure element. The company's Trust Platform for its CryptoAuthentication family allows companies of all sizes to simply implement secure authentication.

With the ability to authenticate to any public or private cloud infrastructure, the company's Trust Platform is also flexible and customizable. For customers who want more customization, the program includes the TrustFLEX and TrustCUSTOM platforms.

This second tier in the program, TrustFLEX, provides the versatility to utilise the customer’s certificate authority of choice while still profiting from pre-configured use cases. These use cases comprise baseline security measures such as TLS hardened authentication for connecting to any IP-based network using any certificate chain, LoRaWAN authentication, secure boot, OTA updates, IP protection, user data protection and key rotation. This lessens the time and complexity required in customising the device without needing customised part numbers. For customers who would wish to entirely customise their designs, the third tier in the program – TrustCUSTOM – offers customer-specific configuration abilities and custom credential provisioning.

“The uptick in successful attacks on software-based security solutions underscores the need for companies to adopt industry best practices, including isolating private keys in secure elements,” said Nuri Dagdeviren, vice president of Microchip’s secure products business unit. “Microchip’s Trust Platform makes hardware-based security simple and cost-effective for companies of all sizes to implement, removing the barriers traditionally associated with configuring and provisioning devices.”