Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microchip Technology partnered up to develop a provisioning platform and supported secure chip, reports EE Times.

The new hardware, designed by Microchip, will help the platform provide end-to-end IoT security procedures and simplify IoT solutions that operate on AWS.

In an interview with EE Times, Eustace Asanghanwa of Microchip highlighted some key features of the new platform and hardware:

• The new hardware is a small, secure module that was designed to function with AWS. Microchip will ensure the validity and authenticity of each device, protecting users from the possibility of counterfeit or uncertified devices.
• One of the primary problems with device security is unique key generation, which allows devices access to a service such as AWS with secure and confirmed identities. That key must also be communicated from the IoT device to the platform. Microchip’s new part bypasses this communication step by relying on root certification.
• Microchip will also offer development kits and generic parts for testing and piloting to companies looking to potentially integrate the new hardware into their AWS-based IoT solutions. The creation of such a platform, complete with developments and extensive testing, will help to further position AWS at the forefront of IoT solutions.

Some Key points to take note of:

• Companies that operate critical infrastructure sites reported 295 cyber incidents in 2015, up from 245 in 2014.
• Hackers are targeting the industrial control systems that operate critical infrastructure because of the enormous damage they can cause by crippling such infrastructure.
• Industrial control systems typically weren’t designed to be connected to the internet, so they weren’t built with cybersecurity capabilities to ward off hackers.
• The hack that caused a blackout in the Ukraine could serve as a blueprint for other hackers that want to target critical infrastructure, helping them succeed in future attackers.
• The Ukraine hack highlighted the importance of training employees about cybersecurity and placing additional access controls on industrial control systems beyond firewalls.