In this episode of the NXP EdgeVerse Techcast, hosts Kyle Dando and Bridgette Stone focus on security and embedded design, featuring guest Stella Or, a product manager at NXP. Stella explains the importance of embedded security in protecting devices like smartphones and smart home systems from unauthorized access. The discussion covers technologies such as encryption, authentication, Secure Enclave and NXP's EdgeLock solutions, which provide multiple layers of protection. Stella highlights NXP's Secure Provisioning Tool and how developers can build secure applications in just 6 clicks. The episode also addresses compliance with global security regulations like the EU Cyber Resilience Act and the US Cyber Trust Mark, and explores the future, touching upon responsible AI security guidelines.

Listeners are encouraged to visit NXP's website for more resources.

https://nxp.com/edgelock

https://www.nxp.com/design/design-center/training/TIP-BUILD-SECURE-IMG-MCUXPRESSO-TOOL

00:00 Introduction to NXP Edgeverse TechCast

00:31 Meet the guest Stella Or

02:03 Understanding Embedded Security

04:25 NXP's Secure Solutions

05:51 Tools for Secure Application Development

07:43 Importance of Malware Protection

12:03 NXP's Security Regulations Compliance

13:45 Future of AI and Security

15:48 Episode Wrap Up

Mark as Played
Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kyle Dando (00:10):
Welcome everyone to the NXP Edgeverse TechCast where you
will learn all about NXP software,tools, and enablement that supports
NXP Processors and Microcontrollers.
My name is Kyle Dando, and I amexcited about today's episode.
It's all centered onsecurity and embedded design.

(00:31):
Bridgette, how are you doing today?

Bridgette Stone (00:33):
Hi Kyle, doing great over here and hello to all of our listeners.
This is Bridgette Stone and welcometo this week's security episode.
Security is brought up inso many of my meetings.
It will be terrific to learnmore about how NXP helps
secure our customers products.
I can't think of anybody better thanour own Stella Or to educate us.

Kyle Dando (00:55):
Absolutely.
Stella, this is greatthat you're our guest.
Stella focuses all her time at NXPto make sure that this technology
pillar is understood and it'scovered by NXP products and tools.
But Stella, why don't you quicklyintroduce yourself and your
current role in security at NXP?

Stella Or (01:14):
Sure.
Hello everyone.
I'm Stella Or, I'm based in Dallas.
I joined NXP in 2022 and work as theproduct manager for NXP Ecosystem team.
My major role in NXP is to drivethe support of our security
enablement and security toolfor NXP MCU and MPU products.

(01:39):
I have been spending over 18 years ofmy career on embedded security including
Payment, Industrial, and IOT industries.

Bridgette Stone (01:49):
Stella, you are such an incredible colleague.
I really enjoy working with you.
Are you ready to jump in and answer somesecurity questions for our listeners?

Stella Or (01:59):
Yeah, sure.
Thanks Bridgette.
I'm ready to go.

Bridgette Stone (02:03):
So Stella, let's start with the basics.
What exactly is embedded security?
And when we say embedded, what doesthat really mean for our listeners?
Why should they care aboutit in their daily lives?

Stella Or (02:14):
Embedded security is a cool topic that focuses on how to prevent
malicious access to embedded systems.
Listeners can think of anembedded system as any product
that has a processor inside.
The processor runs softwareto implement some tasks.

(02:34):
These tasks can include keeping thetime running, or make the best cup of
coffee in the morning, or in extremecases, controlling the temperature,
or allowing access to your home.
We want to prevent our personaldata from being stolen.
For example, we use our mobile phonefor online shopping and online banking.

(02:59):
Will my personal data and cardinformation be disclosed and stolen?
At home, Smart Home devices like doorbelland IP camera capture videos of our
home, which we think it is private to us.
What if someone sneaks into thesedevices and monitor what we are doing?

(03:22):
To ease our worries, embeddedsecurity protects these devices
from unauthorized access.
It is such an important topic thatthe new global regulations are
being outlined and enforced, suchas the US Cyber Trust Mark and the
European Union Cyber Resilience Act.

Bridgette Stone (03:43):
What are some of the requirements for a customer
to protect against these threats?

Stella Or (03:49):
Embedded security involves various types of technologies,
including encryption andauthentication, to safeguard our data.
Building a secure embeddedsystem requires a detailed plan.
It cannot be an afterthought.
Having a security embedded processor inplace at the beginning is essential for

(04:11):
the architecture of a secure design.
A secure processor is just like a vaultto safeguard your private information.
And only you have the key to unlock it.

Kyle Dando (04:23):
Okay, I understand that.
So, what type of secure devices doesNXP provide customers when they're in
this architecture phase and they'retrying to secure their applications?
What can NXP provide customers?

Stella Or (04:36):
NXP is a leader in solutions for security.
These solutions are groupedin the EdgeLock brand of
our products and services.
Customer can evaluate standalonesecure elements or secure processor.
You may recognize the nameSecureElements SE050 or 51.

(04:59):
These are standaloneSecureElements products.
Some of our newer processorfrom NXP typically include an
options that integrates a securecore called Secure Enclave.
Example includes the KW45, MCXW71, MCX N947, and LPC55S3x.

(05:26):
Listeners can learn about thesesecurity solutions at nxp.com/EdgeLock.

Kyle Dando (05:35):
That was great.
Thank you very much for listing those.
It's amazing the breadth of securityproducts that NXP does offer.
I'm sure you have your handsfull keeping everything in line.
One thing though is our groupspecifically is very focused
on the software enablement.
Can you talk to us about what typesof things we provide customers when

(05:57):
they're going in and they're tryingto activate these security features
and the products you just mentioned?

Stella Or (06:02):
Yeah, to build a secure applications.
First of all, we need toperform risk analysis.
Then we address the riskby multiple preventions.
To develop secure applications withNXP secure processor, we provide
example codes in our SDK or the BSPfor the processor and Application

(06:26):
Code Hub to show how the securityfeatures of our processor can be used.
Secondly, NXP provides tools.
We have the Secure ProvisioningTools, also known as SEC Tool, which
is a GUI tool for generating secretkeys, certificates, and secure binary
images for on-chip bootloaders.

(06:49):
For some users, they may want to developtheir own Secure Provisioning Tools.
We have the Secure ProvisioningSDK, usually called the SP-SDK.
It provides API for users to build theirown programming tools to configure the
security features of our processors.

(07:11):
If the TEE Trust Execution Environmentis used, we have a configuration tool
for setting up secure and non secureareas with memory regions visualization.
All these tools can help on buildinga secure image for protecting software

(07:32):
IP, preventing malware injection,and setting up memory isolation
to prevent unauthorized access tomemory and processor resources.

Bridgette Stone (07:43):
Stella, you mentioned about malware
injection and memory isolation.
Can you break down whythese protections matter?
What happens if a designdoesn't have them?

Stella Or (07:52):
Yeah, let me share an interesting fact.
According to one article publishedby DeVry University, more than 1
billion malware programs exist.
What would hackers do with malware?
Hackers could replace the originalsoftware with malware if a secure

(08:14):
bootloader is missing in the device.
Devices that are deployed in thefield and lack of secure updates are
often targets for this type of attack.
With malware being programmed toa secure device, a Hacker could
access to all the informationstored and processed in the device.

(08:35):
This could be your bankaccount information.
Also, hacker could pretend tobe you in a conversation or in
a transaction, then redirect thetransaction to the hacker's account.

Bridgette Stone (08:49):
Yikes!
That is no good.
So how does NXP help customersprevent these attacks?

Stella Or (08:55):
Malware injections can be prevented by having an
immutable bootloader in a processor.
So that before a firmware is programmed,the bootloader verifies its signature
and makes sure the firmware issigned by the device manufacturer.
Moreover, having memory isolationsdesigned in the processor can

(09:17):
prevent unauthorized access tosome memory and sensitive data.
However, some processorshave a dedicated core.
an area for this purpose.
In the NXP secure processor highlightearlier, we call it secure enclave.
Sensitive data is only handledin the secure enclave and

(09:38):
doesn't leave this area.
Accessing sensitive informationfrom outside is prohibited.

Kyle Dando (09:46):
So the Secure Enclave is integrated in the processors.
Do the Secure Elements provide similarcapabilities in an external companionship?

Stella Or (09:56):
Correct.
Both provides memory isolationsthat prevent unauthorized
access to code and data.

Kyle Dando (10:04):
So Stella, you've shared that NXP provides many solutions to address the
security requirements of our customers.
If you could only highlight onething from NXP's security enablement.
What would most impress our listeners?
And what, can you describewhat that would be?

Stella Or (10:21):
Yeah, we understand this capacity of designing secure applications.
Therefore, we put a lot ofefforts last year, uh, in the SEC
tool to improve the usability.
Now, with the new workspace interface,users are able to build a secure
application with just 6 clicks.

(10:44):
It greatly simplified theprocess of creating the first
secure image for an application.
The new workspace configures asecure bootloader for you, generates
secret keys, and generates asecure image for your application.
Moreover, a bunch of goodfunctions in the SEC's tool.

(11:07):
These include trust provisioningfor customers who work with contract
manufacturers at production.
They may want to protect their softwareIP, secret keys, and certificates.

Kyle Dando (11:20):
Oh, certificates.
I know about those.
That can be prettycomplicated to implement.
So, what can we provide that helps peoplethat want to generate certificates?

Stella Or (11:30):
In the SEC tool.
It allows you to generate devicecertificates through the NXP
trust provisioning solution,such as the EdgeLock 2GO.
You can also set up lifecycle of aprocessor; configure TrustZone to
create boundaries between trustedworld and untrusted world; set up debug

(11:52):
authentications that allowed an authorizedperson to debug the device in the field.

Bridgette Stone (12:00):
Stella, that's really impressive.
Now, security regulations likethe EU Cyber Resilience Act
and the US Cyber Trust Mark arebecoming more and more important.
How does NXP Solutions helpcustomers stay compliant?

Stella Or (12:13):
Security regulations concern how user's data can be
well protected and prevent hackersfrom taking over the control.
There are several waysto achieve this goal.
NXP provides security enablementsincludes: secure bootloader, secure
firmware update, memory isolation withsecure enclave or TrustZone, on-chip

(12:39):
crypto accelerator, and state of artcrypto libraries for encryption and
signature verification, secure storage forprotecting secret keys, runtime security,
tamper monitor and sensors, and so on.
All these features createmulti-layers of protection.

(13:03):
Just imagine a defense systemthat has multi-layers of shields,
addressing attack from differentangles and different strength.
Most importantly, the design process ofour processor is IEC 62443-4-1 certified.
And the processor we made can fulfillthese requirements of IEC 62443-4-2,

(13:31):
which set up a benchmark and bestpractice for embedded security in
various industries and regulations.

Bridgette Stone (13:40):
Thanks for breaking it down.
That makes total sense to me.
And I have one last thing from my side.
I've been reading.
So much more on articles aroundEdge AI and AI in general.
And how does NXP support the ResponsibleAI security guidelines and regulations
that we're seeing come about?

Stella Or (14:01):
Yeah, that is a global recognition of the need of Responsible AI.
Besides voluntary frameworksand standardization efforts.
Binding legislations are being draftedall over the world, some of which
have already came to effect recently.

(14:22):
One of the most significantis the European AI Act.
This horizontal legislation, meaningthat it applies across industries,
has entered into force in August 2024.
More legislations are being publishedin many countries to manage the

(14:43):
risk of AI and its data usage.
NXP aims to support our customersin creating AI solutions that
follow the responsible AI practices.
These include Edge AI enablement forusers to develop a reliable execution
of an edge AI system in which dataprocessing occur locally on the device

(15:11):
and keep users data secure and private.
Also, AI model is a valuable asset.
NXP provides best in classplatform security that I mentioned
earlier for protecting AI modelsagainst remote and local attacks.

Bridgette Stone (15:30):
That's really fantastic, Stella.
It's clear that NXP is not justproviding security solutions, but
really thinking ahead to protect bothtoday and tomorrow's technologies.
I can't thank you enough forsharing all these insights.
It's been a wonderful conversation.

Kyle Dando (15:45):
That's right, Stella, you did an awesome job.
So let's do a quick recap,Bridgette, for the listeners.
So we started with the basics.
What is Embedded Security?
And why is it essentialfor everyone listening?
It's protecting your smart home devicesand keeping your personal data safe.

(16:05):
And then we learned that, youknow, security isn't something
you just add at the last minute.
It has to be built in from the startduring those architecture phases.
You want to use secureprocessors and technologies like
encryption and authentication

Bridgette Stone (16:20):
Stella also walked us through NXP's security solutions
from EdgeLock secure elements toprocessors with built in secure
enclaves, giving customers multiplelayers of protection against threats.
And if you're wondering how to actuallyimplement these features, NXP provides
software and tools like the SecureProvisioning tool to make security easier

(16:41):
so much so that developers can now builda secure application in just 6 clicks.

Kyle Dando (16:47):
In just 6 clicks.
That's easy.
We also touched upon the growingimportance of security regulations
like the EU Cyber ResilienceAct and the US Cyber Trust Mark.
And finally, we finished upby looking at the future.
We discussed the responsibility of AIsecurity and how NXP is working to protect

(17:07):
AI models and ensure that data is private.

Bridgette Stone (17:11):
Security is complex, but as we've seen today, NXP is
making it simpler, strong, and moreaccessible for developers everywhere.

Kyle Dando (17:19):
That's right.
And that was a great episode.
Bridgette and I would like to remindall our listeners to visit nxp.
com.
And take a look for that security in6 clicks video that Stella mentioned.
There's also a great securityenablement page that we'll
put into the podcast notes.
We also dropped a interesting pollquestion down in the description.

(17:40):
So for those that have access, pleasegive us your opinion to the poll question.

Bridgette Stone (17:45):
Please remember to Like, Subscribe, and set up Notifications
for the EdgeVerse TechCast, and welook forward to seeing you next week.

Kyle Dando (17:52):
All right.
Well, time is short, and Stella, weappreciate you taking your time with us.
There's so much more to talkabout with security and all the
regulations being put in place.
Do you have time, hopefully in thefuture, to join us again, Stella?

Stella Or (18:06):
Yes, absolutely.

Kyle Dando (18:08):
Well, thanks everyone.
And until next time, continueto innovate in the Edgeverse.

Popular Podcasts

Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial

Amy Robach & T.J. Holmes present: Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial

Introducing… Aubrey O’Day Diddy’s former protege, television personality, platinum selling music artist, Danity Kane alum Aubrey O’Day joins veteran journalists Amy Robach and TJ Holmes to provide a unique perspective on the trial that has captivated the attention of the nation. Join them throughout the trial as they discuss, debate, and dissect every detail, every aspect of the proceedings. Aubrey will offer her opinions and expertise, as only she is qualified to do given her first-hand knowledge. From her days on Making the Band, as she emerged as the breakout star, the truth of the situation would be the opposite of the glitz and glamour. Listen throughout every minute of the trial, for this exclusive coverage. Amy Robach and TJ Holmes present Aubrey O’Day, Covering the Diddy Trial, an iHeartRadio podcast.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!