Regardless of size, an unsecured device poses a threat to the entire cloud network. Microchip Technology, in partnership with Amazon Web Services IoT (AWS IoT), has just announced an end-to-end security solution for IoT devices connecting to the AWS IoT. The solution streamlines the onboarding devices to the cloud by pre-configuring ATMEL’s ECC508A chip for AWS’ mutual authentication security model. The big story here is not a new component, but an innovative way of doing things realized through Microchip’s partnership with AWS IoT.
The ECC508A implements high-end security practices from evaluation through production, resolving four of the main security challenges faced by IoT designers and manufacturers: how to securely generate device unique keys, how to protect the confidentiality of the keys throughout the manufacturing chain, how to onboard devices to cloud services, and finally, how to continually protect the keys throughout the product’s lifecycle.
Before today, complying with AWS’ IoT’s advanced security model required third party manufacturers to pre-register their security authority to the AWS servers to establish trust. Afterward, a unique 256-bit cryptographic key needed to be generated for each IoT device syncing with the pre-registered security authority. Ensuring the key remained secret for the entire life cycle of the device was entirely up to the manufacturer, a challenge that exponentially increases in cost as additional third parties with varying degrees of compliance join the manufacturing chain; each factory floor is required to maintain secure rooms and expensive hardware secure modules for key generation.
With AWS IoT and Microchip’s end-to-end solution, key distribution and authentication become automated. ECC508A is pre-configured to be recognized by the AWS server and comes with built-in internal key generation, so there’s no longer a need to load unique keys and certificates required for authentication. Design engineers simply solder the 3 x 2 mm ECC508A on to the board and connect it over l2C to the host microcontroller, which then runs the AWS software development kit, preparing the host device for the AWS IoT.
The AWS-ECC508 kit (part # AT88CKECC-AWS-XSTK) is available today at $249 per unit, while the AWS-ECC508 (part # ATECC508A-MAHAW-S and ATECC508A-SSHAW-T) is available in UDFN and SOIC packages; the latter can be procured for sampling and volume production starting at $0.60 each in 10,000 unit quantities.
Visit Atmel for additional information or to purchase the kit.
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