Microchip adds security features to its Trust Platform Design Suite

In 2019, Microchip Technology released its Trust Platform for its CryptoAuthentication family, bringing the industry’s first pre-provisioned solutions for hardware-based secure elements to companies of all sizes that want an easy way to implement secure authentication.

Today, the company is further enhancing this service with the latest enhancements to its Trust Platform Design Suite (TPDS) — its dedicated software platform for device configuration and onboarding to Microchip secure provisioning services for embedded security.

TPDS version 2 (v2) software now enables Microchip partners to add use cases to its rich security solutions onboarding ecosystem, further expanding developers’ already broad options for implementing best-in-class security.

It also now includes support for additional security solutions such as the TA100, the first cryptographic companion device for the automotive market.

Streamlining development
It can take an experienced firmware engineer months to specify an application’s threat model and develop a security use case that encompasses all necessary measures related to secure authentication, secure boot, IP protection, and more. The two main challenges are configuring the device’s security boundaries and provisioning secrets including private keys as well as symmetric secrets and other forms of secret data.

The TPDS software simplifies this process by providing pre-defined use cases addressing the most common market requirements. It is available with two of the three Trust Platform flows – Trust&GO and TrustFLEX.

These programs enable new secure projects to be prototyped in a matter of minutes with TPDS v2, while giving customers options based on the size of their deployment, use case requirements, and how much customization they need:

• Trust&GO — Devices are pre-defined and pre-provisioned, off-the-shelf, for secure cloud authentication in both TLS-based and LoRaWAN-based networks, with a Minimum Orderable Quantity (MOQ) of just 10 units.

• TrustFLEX — Customers can use this program’s pre-configured devices either with default generic certificates or their own credentials (Custom PKI), while benefitting from an even broader range of predefined uses cases than are available with the Trust&GO program.

To address the most demanding use cases, Microchip’s TrustCUSTOM family gives customers the freedom to fully define the secure authentication configuration and fully customize secure key storage.

With its fully integrated onboarding flow, the TPDS v2 software allows a customer to select a security solution, validate its use case, prototype it, and then start the process of secure provisioning, all in a few simple steps.

“Our TPDS v2 software makes it easy for developers to comply with existing standards and upcoming regulations for embedded system security by making security best practices an integral piece of an intuitive and streamlined process,” said Nuri Dagdeviren, VP of Microchip’s secure products business unit. “We will continue helping our customers accelerate time-to-market and win long-term business through reliable hardware and secure solutions. TPDS will also support onboarding and provisioning services for Microchip security solutions beyond secure elements.”

Third-party integration
One of the biggest advantages of TPDS v2 is that it enables third-party partners to add their own use cases to improve customer options for secure element onboarding and security features. Among Microchip’s partners is EBV Elektronik (Avnet Group). EBV Elektronik enables TPDS v2 users to connect to the Avnet IoTConnect Cloud quickly and securely through the ATECC608B TrustFlex configuration using the EBV-IoT “Secure Shield” evaluation kit. More information available here.

“We have a strong relationship with Microchip and are very excited to be part of the Trust Platform Design Suite v2 initiative that makes scalable security available for all customers, on both the silicon and cloud side,” said Antonio Fernandez, VP of technical development at EBV Elektronik. “Embracing best practices is an essential step in achieving our mutual goal of offering all customers the best security platform available. We believe the TPDS enhancements provide one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways for us to continue our leadership role in helping customers deploy best-in-class solutions.”

How it works
The Trust Platform Design Suite v2 allow users to:

• Onboard with security through training videos and interactive application notes spanning a variety of use cases.

• Develop their applications based on the selected use cases, finalize the security solution configuration, and perform the secret key exchange.

• Procure verification samples and start production.