Embedded system security service
Define your security objectives and identify the relevant processes to secure your connected embedded devices and protect your users’ sensitive data.
workshops & engineering services to enhance your embedded system security
Security risk assessment
We analyze your system to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities, clearly define security challenges, and recommend tailored technical and organizational security measures. Our goal is to ensure your system operates safely and reliably, even in the face of external threats, reinforcing your embedded system security.
Secure software development
We adhere to secure embedded software development practices, implementing secure coding practices, continuous integration, and deployment to minimize risks.
Security maintenance
We continuously monitor your system’s security, offering regular CVE scans, LTS upgrades, and secure updates to keep your device protected over time. This proactive approach is key to maintaining embedded system security.
DANIEL MCCARTY
Director of Engineering
From our first consulting workshop to our end-of-project results, the Witekio team showed in-depth knowledge and insight into our needs and the embedded ecosystem. We would recommend the team to any company looking for an embedded solution and foolproof plan to get there.
The pillars of embedded systems security
1.
Confidentiality
Encryption forms the foundation of any embedded security hardening process. Tools like LUKS, dm-crypt, and eCryptFS, hardware secure element or trusted execution introduce robust layers of confidentiality to your system. This ensures sensitive data protection against unauthorized access.
2.
Integrity
Device integrity and secure boot mechanisms are crucial. Cryptographic checksums and signatures ensure no unauthorized entity can modify sensitive data. This is a core security feature for security systems.
3.
Access control
Solutions like SELinux provide granular permission controls, while lightweight alternatives like AppArmor & Smack offer resource-efficient access control mechanisms.
4.
Device authentication
Ensuring robust verification of the devices identities is paramount in protecting the whole system. Using asymmetric cryptography in a secure element together with a X.509 Publik Key Infrastructure ensures that all provisioning steps are secure.
SUCCESS STORY
Ensuring Adeunis building management embedded security
Adeunis sought to bolster the embedded system security of their Building Management System, a wireless energy monitoring solution for smart buildings. With our IoT expertise and security-first approach, we delivered comprehensive embedded security measures and security features from the initial workshops to full deployment, including:
- Identify potential attack paths and security breaches
- Cryptography and embedded security layer design
- Complete embedded system design and integration with secure boot and security vulnerabilities patching
- Secure over-the-air (OTA) update architecture
Ready to strengthen your embedded devices' security?
Our team is here to help you navigate through embedded systems security and identify the best way to go.
6 Benefits to secure embedded systems
Protection against cyber threats
Secure embedded systems prevent data breaches, unauthorized access, and other malicious code. This is fundamental for system security.
Building user trust
When users feel confident in the security of a product, they are more likely to adopt and trust it. Adhering to industry standards for embedded security builds this trust.
Meeting regulatory standards
Many industries have strict security regulations that must be adhered to for compliance. Our embedded system security service helps you meet these requirements.
Expanding market opportunities
Compliance with embedded system security standards can unlock access to markets that require certified security measures.
Ensuring system reliability
Security mechanisms help maintain embedded systems stability by preventing attacks that could cause disruption.
Maintaining operational continuity
Proper embedded systems security ensures that embedded systems can continue to function correctly even when faced with an attack. This is vital for maintaining operational continuity.
FAQ on embedded system security
What are some security risks associated with embedded systems?
- Software-Based Attacks: Targeting the embedded systems core, such as applications managing devices. For instance, making use of a runtime error (buffer overflow, race condition, …) may give an attacker with capability of running its own code on your device
- Network-Based Attacks: Exploiting network infrastructure security vulnerabilities, such as in Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attacks, where hackers intercept or modify transmitted data by manipulating connection parameters.
- Side-Channel Attacks: Exploiting hardware security breach to weakened embedded devices.
How can embedded systems be secured?
Performing regular risk assessments is critical to identify potential attack surface. This process should include secure identification and mitigation of security risks, testing iterations, and repeating the cycle to ensure performance without compromising IoT devices security. Key areas of focus include:
- Requirements Risk Assessments: Address embedded device security needs, environmental considerations, user access, and sensitive data protection requirements.
- Architectural Risk Assessments: Evaluate attack surface linked to the exposure of components, network hosts, and peripheral devices to ensure tight control over embedded systems security vulnerabilities.
What key hardware and software security features can harden an IoT device?
Securing embedded systems isn’t easy. It often requires looking at multiple security measures and security technologies. Here are four main embedded security paths and security features to investigate to ensure your embedded systems security.
- Communication Security: Ensure data integrity during transmission by utilizing reliable tools for secure data transfer with secure key storage.
- Boot Security: Guarantee the integrity of software running on your embedded device starting during the boot process through secure boot mechanisms and encryption.
- Runtime Security: Safeguard the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of application and operating system by managing access privileges during execution.
- Physical Security: Protect the system from physical attacks, especially for edge devices exposed to external environments, to prevent unauthorized access.
What essential practices help secure embedded systems to comply with Cybersecurity Regulations?
- Embedded Security Risk Assessment: Regularly assess and mitigate potential risks. This is foundational for cyber security for embedded systems.
- Secure Development: Implement security-first practices throughout the development lifecycle.
- Vulnerability Monitoring: Track and address software vulnerabilities in the apps and operating system of your embedded devices throughout their lifespan.
- Embedded Security Updates: Provide timely updates to maintain robust protection and address new security vulnerabilities.
- Authority Notification: Comply with regulations by notifying authorities when security breaches occur.
How much security is sufficient?
The embedded system security needs vary depending on their role and the level of risk they can tolerate. Connected devices that perform critical tasks, such as those related to safety purposes, require more rigorous security measures. Even when an embedded device poses no immediate security breach to human safety, it may still be vulnerable to hacking attempts for data theft or manipulation. Therefore, all embedded systems should undergo thorough security assessments to define the appropriate security levels.
What are the key characteristics of embedded systems that impact security?
Certain features of embedded systems introduce unique security challenges:
- Limited resources: Many embedded systems have restricted processing power and memory, making it difficult to implement heavy security solutions.
- Optimized algorithms: These embedded systems often use computationally efficient algorithms to conserve resources.
- Lightweight protocols: Communication protocols are designed to minimize resource consumption while maintaining functionality.
- Real-time performance: Most embedded systems operate in real-time environments, meaning they cannot afford delays caused by resource-intensive security processes.
- Securing the real-time operating system (RTOS): The real-time operating system (RTOS) should be protected from potential attacks, possibly using techniques like separation kernels or microkernels.
- Long lifespan: Embedded systems typically remain in service for many years, making them susceptible to new and evolving security threats over time.
- Long-term support and maintenance: It’s essential to provide security updates and maintenance (LTS releases, software vulnerabilities patching, etc.) throughout the device’s operational life.
What is the difference between embedded security and cybersecurity?
Protecting digital infrastructure involves two key aspects: embedded security and cybersecurity. While they serve different functions, both work together to safeguard against various types of security threats. For instance, modern vehicles need to be built with both embedded security and cybersecurity features. Though each plays a distinct role, they complement one another in defending systems from a wide range of security challenges. Embedded security focuses on the hardware and software directly within the device, while cybersecurity encompasses the broader digital environment.
What is embedded systems security?
From vehicles to medical devices and industrial machinery, embedded systems handle vital functions and are increasingly connected to networks, making them vulnerable to cyberattacks. Even non-critical products can be used as attack vectors for larger systems, and must be securely designed. Embedded system security ensures that both embedded software and hardware are resilient against various security risks and security threats, preventing unauthorized access and security breaches.
What differentiates a comprehensive cybersecurity risk assessment from a basic security audit?
A comprehensive cybersecurity risk assessment goes significantly deeper than a basic security audit, which typically focuses on compliance with predetermined standards or identifying existing configurations. A cybersecurity risk assessment, particularly one for embedded systems security, involves a proactive and systematic process to identify, analyze, and evaluate potential cyber threats and vulnerabilities that are specific to your unique operational environment and IoT devices.
This includes not just scanning for known flaws, but also assessing the likelihood of various attack vectors, the potential impact of a data breach, and determining the actual risk levels. We also help you prioritize risks based on their severity and your business context. This holistic approach to cyber security risk assessment empowers you with a detailed roadmap for risk mitigation, allowing you to implement tailored security measures and build a truly resilient security posture, rather than simply checking off a compliance list.
We know embedded systems security
We support your teams in designing, building, and running innovative products, from embedded software to application development, with a strong focus on system security.
4 countries
ISO 27001 certified
