Secure Platform Solution for the IoT

Electronic security and trust are key concerns in the digital era, which are magnified as everything becomes connected in the Internet of Things (IoT). NXP Semiconductors N.V. today disclosed details of a secure platform for building trusted connected products. The QorIQ Layerscape Secure Platform, built on the NXP trust architecture technology, enables developers of IoT equipment to easily build secure and trusted systems. The platform provides a complete set of hardware, software and process capabilities to embed security and trust into every aspect of a product's life cycle.

Recent security breaches show that even mundane devices like web-cameras or set-top boxes can be used to both attack the Internet infrastructure and/or spy on their owners. IoT solutions cannot be secured against such misuse unless they are built on technology that addresses all aspects of a secure and trusted product lifecycle. In offering the Layerscape Secure Platform, NXP leverages decades of experience supplying secure embedded systems for military, aerospace, and industrial markets.

The key elements of the Layerscape Secure Platform are: NXP Trust Architecture; the silicon-based hardware root of trust. The trust architecture technology provides secure boot, secure debug, anti-tamper, run-time integrity checking (RTIC) and secret key protection capabilities. Secure Provisioning Tool; provides code signing, security hardware policy configuration, secure credential installation and maintenance, with easy integration into OEM and 3rd party Device Life Cycle Management (DLM) frameworks. Trusted Linux; includes trusted applications and trusted services built on a secure OS. Network Security Suite; provides secure connectivity via hardware accelerated security protocols including IPsec & SSL, as well as firewall and deep packet inspection capabilities.

“Security and trust are essential in our connected world,” said Noy Kucuk, Vice President, Digital Networking at NXP. “No device should connect to the Internet unless it has been built upon a secure and trusted platform. All NXP QorIQ processors include the trust architecture technology which provides the hardware root of trust that is the foundation of the Layerscape Secure Platform.”

“What is new is the software we’re providing around trust architecture,” continued Kucuk. “The Layerscape Secure Platform is a comprehensive offering to support the use of trust features and security acceleration throughout the system’s lifecycle. We’re making it easier for customers to implement advanced security in their products.”

“NXP is well known for the security features built into its embedded processors,” said Linley Gwennap, principal analyst of The Linley Group. “The Layerscape Secure Platform is a comprehensive package of hardware and software for implementing security in embedded systems, including network equipment and IoT devices. As recent events have unfortunately demonstrated, strong security should be the foremost concern of today’s product designers.”

The Layerscape Secure Platform provides the necessary tools and infrastructure to help IoT device and IoT gateway OEMs and ODMs build, deploy, maintain, and even decommission trusted systems. Layerscape Secure Platform tools and methods support distributed manufacturing models, without requiring the manufacturing sites to be equally secure and trustworthy.

Designers and manufacturers can also leverage NXP’s deep security expertise via security consulting services to review current processes, identify potential vulnerabilities, and explore solutions.