As we come to the end of 2018, RIoT Secure opens a new chapter (and technology)!
2018 has been an interesting year; we have seen security exploits continue to pop up all over the place - yet it has been a relatively quiet year for those seeking to invest within IoT (ref: IoT Investments 2018), with investors citing that it is difficult to find attractive startups; mainly in the realm of showing recurring revenue streams, specifically in regards to scalable software - a valid point for sure.
We are taking the shackles of secrecy from two technology stacks in our portfolio we consider to be potential game-changers in IoT: RIoT Brawl (IoT Virtual Machine) and RIoT Shield (Realtime Protection). Combined, they change the manner in which the industry can think about IoT deployments.
RIoT BRAWL - Lightweight IoT Virtual Machine and Developer Sandbox
Brawl is an on-device application runtime environment that provides a lightweight virtual machine and developer sandbox for developers to write business logic and applications for IoT. Specifically designed for IoT, the virtual machine is capable of providing near-native performance using native bindings, even on resource-constrained microcontrollers—drastically reducing the size of firmware binaries.
Depending on the target CPU, a basic application could range in size between a relatively small 930 bytes (avr 8-bit) to 48,732 bytes (Intel Curie, 32-bit). While this may seem like an excessive amount of CPU opcodes for such a simple application, all applications come with a bit of baggage. However, compiled in Brawl, the firmware would be just 20 bytes, regardless of the CPU target.
Brawl has been designed specifically for IoT, providing any functionality that can be done natively. The virtual machine provides a basic arithmetic logic unit with bindings to GPIO, I2C, SPI, and 1-Wire by default, but it also offers a secure sandbox to prevent unwanted activities. Additionally, it is expandable to provide native bindings to execute complex tasks without a performance hit.
As IoT has matured, so has the use of narrow-band networking technology (LoRa, Sigfox, and NB-IoT), which all have restricted up-link and down-link bandwidths but offer excellent range. The concept of FOTA (Firmware Over the Air) over such networks has typically been considered unfeasible, as devices rely on backup networks (3G/LTE) or technology stacks (BLE) for firmware updates.
But what if firmware were only a few hundred bytes?
Nearly 20 years ago, the desktop and server landscape saw a revolution with the introduction of Java and .NET, launching the device-agnostic programming paradigm while also offering a developer sandbox to execute applications within. RIoT Brawl not only offers the same principles but also makes FOTA over narrow-band networks feasible.
RIoT SHIELD - Realtime Encrypted IoT Firmware and Data Protection
When targeting a specific CPU on an IoT device, the business logic and application are compiled into well-known CPU opcodes (such as AVR, ARM, or MIPS), which when executed on the device, perform specific operations. Extracting information from memory chips is not difficult, and the contents can be easily reverse-engineered using developer tools.
Shield was created to be a security extension of the Brawl IoT virtual machine and developer sandbox. It ensures the business logic and application for IoT devices receive the same level of protection as intrusive and expensive hardware solutions, directly within the IoT ecosystem.
Each IoT device in the ecosystem will have its firmware delivered encrypted (unique amongst all devices), preventing a third party from intercepting, modifying, or stealing intellectual property during delivery. An additional security layer at runtime ensures the IoT firmware and memory banks are encrypted to protect them from third-party spying and modification in real time.
For more information on licensing and availability of our products and how they can assist you, please contact our business development team at enquiries@riotsecure.se with details about your IoT project and requirements, so we can assist you with your inquiries.
