Micron, Microsoft team up to toughen IoT security

Article By : EE Times Asia

The initiative will combine Microsoft Azure IoT cloud with Micron's Authenta technology to address the major challenge of providing trusted computing models for IoT deployments.

Cybersecurity is one of the biggest challenges and barriers to the growth of IoT deployments, especially since digitisation and adoption of Internet protocol (IP) for sensors and devices has become increasingly pervasive.

Micron Technology has partnered with tech giant Microsoft to address the major challenge of providing trusted computing models for IoT deployments in industrial, automotive and consumer environments.

The initiative will combine Microsoft Azure IoT cloud with Micron's Authenta technology. Essentially, the new platform utilises a hardware "root of trust" integrated into Micron's flash memory in the IoT device along with Microsoft's Azure IoT cloud to establish a strong trusted link between the device and the cloud.

By using Microsoft's support of Device Identity Composition Engine (DICE), an upcoming standard from the Trusted Computing Group (TCG), the combination of the Microsoft Azure IoT cloud and Micron Authenta helps ensure that only trusted hardware gains access to the IoT cloud.

Micron's Authenta is an IoT security platform that helps enable strong cryptographic device identity and device health management in flash memory. Authenta provides a unique level of protection for the lowest layers of IoT device software, starting with the boot process. The approach of utilising existing standard flash memory sockets enables system developers to harden system level security without adding additional hardware components, according to Micron.

Micron and Microsoft also plan to offer software development kits (SDKs) that help make it easier to provide secure IoT cloud management and connectivity for new platforms and devices, as well as the ability to retrofit legacy systems.

Micron's Authenta platform is initially available in the Serial NOR product family and is sampling now to select customers.