R. Indeck
Q-Net Security,
United States
Keywords: hardware security, HardSec, cybersecurity, quantum resistant
Summary:
HardSec: A New Cybersecurity Option Cybersecurity discussions, up to now, have been exclusively about software vulnerabilities, patches, and updates. This is natural since the subject of Cybersecurity is about unauthorized individuals obtaining access to critical software systems via global communications networks. What’s wrong with this exclusive approach and what advantages does the new hardware security (HardSec) option provide? As one generation of hacker tools is defeated the next generation is being developed and deployed. Thus utilities, and other organizations, find themselves in the expensive resource consuming cycle of software update, new attack, further update or replacement, … An alternative approach involves the installation of hardware which is invisible to authorized software and their users and impenetrable by unauthorized entities. HardSec approaches the issue of unauthorized system intrusion with purpose-built hardware to create an impervious barrier between defined endpoints and all remote attackers. This electronic barrier replaces cybersecurity software with purpose-built hardware capable of providing cybersecurity functionality whose immutable platform can deliver a provably-secure and quantum compute-resistant solution. Key Takeaways Hardware-based approaches can provide many advantages over traditional software-based solutions, including 1. A drop-in secure overlay without modifying existing infrastructure and endpoints 2. De minimis maintenance and no patching 3. Quantum compute-resistant security today