Future-proofing IoT security

The company’s cryptography solutions provide protection for IoT devices that run on very small processors and require ultra-low energy consumption.

Engineers, developers and embedded security experts face a major challenge. Low resource devices, running on 8-, 16-, and 32-bit processors, lack the computing and memory resources needed to incorporate contemporary security methods like Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC).

During a talk on 26th September, SecureRF’s CTO Derek Atkins presented two of the company’s security solutions - the Ironwood Key Agreement Protocol (Ironwood KAP) and Walnut Digital Signature Algorithm (WalnutDSA) - which are well suited in terms of size, speed and power for the small processors powering the IoT. Based on Group Theoretic Cryptography methods, SecureRF’s tools are around 60 times faster than ECC and consume up to 140 times less energy.

“A common misconception is that constrained IoT devices cannot run public-key solutions, and this is true about legacy methods - either they don't fit or, if they can be made to fit, they don’t perform,” Atkins said. “Group Theoretic, quantum-resistant, cryptographic solutions easily fit onto tiny IoT devices as small as 8-bits and execute many times faster than legacy methods.”

Ironwood KAP and WalnutDSA are future-proof, providing critical protection against all known quantum attacks. As recently announced by the United States National Security Agency (NSA), quantum resistance is a critical requirement for users looking to deliver secure sensors, devices and actuators that have multi-year lifespans. SecureRF’s solutions will protect IoT devices even when quantum computers become available and render currently used methods such as ECC and RSA obsolete.