The application protection vendor wins awards in IoT Connected Medical Devices Software and IoT Connected Automobiles Software categories and is also named a finalist in IoT Security Software category
by Kim Kay
With the IoT market expected to spawn more than 25 billion connected devices by 2020, we’re officially living in an interconnected and smartly hyper-efficient world. Such a heavy market reliance on connected devices comes at a cost and with a caveat, though: According to many security experts, an astonishing number of today’s IoT devices are vulnerable to attack because they were developed without security in mind.
Luckily, security has always been top of mind for Arxan, an application protection specialist who recognizes that relying on perimeter-based barriers to keep out bad actors is simply not enough. Arxan protects applications at both the source and binary code levels while employing a range of security capabilities such as code hardening, obfuscation, encyrption and whitebox cryptography.
The judging panel for the 2017 IoT Innovator Awards applauded this foresight – embodied in Arxan’s products and capabilities – by naming the company a Silver award winner in the IoT Connected Medical Devices Software category, a Bronze award winner in the IoT Connected Automobiles Software category and a finalist in the IoT Security Software category.
The IoT Innovator Awards honor the best of Internet of Things businesses and products across the globe by showcasing the year’s top products, projects, companies and ideas that comprise the IoT landscape.
The right prescription for connected medical devices
Of course, security is crucial for all connected devices, but is perhaps most vital when it comes to medical devices and personal healthcare information, where it literally can prove to be a matter of life and death. Consider this: Countless people entrust their health and lives to medical devices every day – whether it be pacemakers, hospital infusion pumps or other pieces of equipment – that are shockingly susceptible to hacking and other security compromises.
Clearly, many of the apps driving these medical devices are grossly underprotected. Indeed, one of the most widespread medical application security vulnerabilities involves a lack of binary protection, which can lead to unauthorized access to critical controls and data. Undoubtedly, binary code remains the weakest, most insecure link in the mobile application layer.
To wit: The FDA issued a warning in July 2015 about infusion pumps installed in more than 400,000 hospitals which were discovered to be remotely hackable. Needless to say, had this discovery not been made, the pumps easily could have been maliciously taken over to deliver lethal doses of medication to patients receiving IV drips.
To combat these types of sickening security breaches, Arxan has engineered its technology to protect users’ devices and data by blocking unauthorized access; preventing application copying, tampering and modifying; and halting malicious code in its tracks.
Arxan’s solutions also provide static and runtime protection as well as code and cryptographic key and data protection to safeguard assets from exposure and hacking. What’s more, once the protections are installed, Arxan’s product will function effectively, with users easily able to adjust their configuration parameters according to their specific requirements.
As the Internet of Things market continues to grow exponentially, so too will the connected medical device industry, which means more individuals will come to rely on connected medical devices for their heath and ultimately, their lives. In response, Arxan’s patented multi-layering guarding technology effectively secures and protects connected medical devices by detecting and deterring attempted attacks in an often scary and unprotected mobile world.
Arxan in the driver’s seat of the connected car
The digital automotive technology that fuels connected cars is all about enhancing the in-car experience while linking vehicles and their drivers and passengers to the outside world via onboard sensors and Internet connectivity. This sounds great, but only if automotive technology is integrated seamlessly and safely. Otherwise, it’s not just users’ private information at risk, but also their lives.
Indeed, safety in connected cars is becoming increasingly paramount in light of the spike in new threats targeting automotive applications that can compromise critical vehicle systems; the integrity of private vehicle and user information; or premium content and payment processing channels. Combating these risks requires not only traditional firmware or machine-to-machine security approaches but also protection against hackers and malicious threats.
Arxan knows a thing or two about automotive application attack-prevention and self-protection, having created a solution that allows automotive manufacturers and OEMs to protect the integrity of content, data, applications and software from being reverse-engineered, tampered with or modified.
Arxan Application Protection, with its patented guarding technology, hardens the binary code and offers both static and runtime protection. Anti-tamper techniques involve responding to runtime attacks with customizable actions and notifying users that software is being modified. In a nutshell, if hackers are present, then Arxan’s technology will not only detect but also thwart them.
Additionally, Arxan’s Cryptographic Key/Data Protection “hides” the secret keys used for authentication. This way, hackers are unable to gain unauthorized access to the automotive application or to any of the in-car networks, since the keys are never present – either in static form or in runtime memory. With its automated application protection approach, Arxan is clearly in the driver’s seat when it comes to connected car security.
A virtual security blanket
With the explosion of mobile and IoT apps in the market, enterprises are more exposed than they’ve ever been. It’s staggering to consider that more than five million mobile apps now exist across banking, healthcare and other sectors – most of which can be easily breached. One hacked device in the enterprise can equal millions of dollars lost revenue due to brand damage and recovery efforts.
Clearly, businesses need to arm themselves with heavy artillery – in the form of application protection tools – to protect private customer information. The trick is to make these protection tools must be as robust as the application they’re protecting. That’s where Arxan comes in, protecting innumerable IoT applications from both advanced and pervasive security threats.
By creating solid technology that allows users to steel themselves against invasive security threats which can result in financial loss, fraud, IP theft, unauthorized access and non-compliance with regulatory and industry standards, it’s no surprise that Arxan has managed to carve out for itself a notable niche of the IoT market.
Kim Kay is the editor-in-chief and associate publisher of IoT Innovator. She can be reached at kim_kay@iotinnovator.com.
