Securing Devices Along the Internet of Things SELTECH Corporation IP

It is expected that by 2020, more than 50 billion devices worldwide will be connected through the so-called Internet of Things. But keeping IoT systems free from attack can be a daunting task. SELTECH Corporation specializes in protecting these vulnerable devices and networks, thanks to a product called FEXER OX.

Part of the difficulty of developing security solutions for the the IoT has to do with the sheer number and variety of “Things” being connected. High-powered computers will be online, but so will automobiles, air conditioners, lighting systems and even kitchen appliances. The resulting challenge is that IoT protection methods will need to be able to run on relatively underpowered devices and still keep modern viruses and hackers out.

“A PC or mobile phone has a very high performance CPU inside,” says Shoi Egawa, SELTECH’s president and CEO. “So you can put anti-virus software inside. But a microwave, air conditioner, or some other product cannot handle a high performance CPU because the price would be very high. So, that means we need to do something else.”

The main capability of FEXER OX, also known as a hypervisor, is to interact directly with the core of an IoT device’s central processing unit. By creating multiple operating systems within an IoT device, key system firmware can be protected, along with access to personal information, device system control information, and other proprietary information.

“We can put a firewall inside the CPU,” says Egawa. “Some information can go through the firewall to the normal area. And the normal area can get information from the secure area. There is a communication system inside. But if a virus hits, it cannot see the other side.”