It’s no secret that firmware development is affected by the rising frequency of cyberattacks on embedded systems. In fact, when comparing the third quarter of 2024 with the same period in 2023, we can see that there has been a 75% increase in the frequency of cyberattacks.
The most targeted sectors are:
- Healthcare;
- Education/research;
- Government/military.
Unfortunately, embedded systems are often overlooked when developing cybersecurity strategies, but this makes firmware the first line of defense against all kinds of online attacks.
How do we strengthen security measures in firmware development? Let’s dive in to find out.
Firmware development in the context of security
Firmware development is the term that refers to creating specialized, low-level software that interacts directly with hardware devices, effectively controlling them. It’s the bridge between the hardware and the higher-level software, like an operating system, for example.
This technology is used in devices such as microcontrollers, IoT gadgets, automotive systems, and consumer electronics. It plays an important role in enabling secure, efficient, and reliable device operations.
Firmware development is crucial for enabling the secure boot process, which ensures that only trusted software runs on a device. By integrating cryptographic checks, such as digital signatures, and using a few other tools, firmware development prevents tampering or malicious code from compromising systems like IoT devices, automotive components, and servers during startup.
Security features enabled by firmware development
Firmware development is essential for implementing key security features that protect devices from cyber threats. Let’s review what these are:
- Secure boot: ensures that only authenticated firmware runs on the device. For example, IoT gateways use Trusted Platform Modules (TPM).
- Firmware encryption: protects the firmware code from tampering or reverse engineering. The AES encryption in firmware updates for medical devices is a good example of this in action.
- Over-the-Air (OTA) Updates: enable secure firmware updates, patching up vulnerabilities without physical access, like the automotive OTA updates in modern electric vehicles.
- Hardware root of trust: the firmware integrates cryptographic keys at the hardware level to establish a chain of trust. This is used, for example, on secure microcontrollers for payment terminals.
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Challenges in firmware development for secure systems
There are three main challenges when it comes to securing systems with firmware. One has to do with the limited resources: embedded systems often suffer from limited memory and processing power, which makes it difficult for developers to implement the latest security features.
On top of that, cyberthreats keep evolving, and that means firmware developers have to stay ahead of these advances, especially those that threaten the hardware. Once again, this is difficult to update and implement in firmware.
Finally, it all boils down to time constraints. Security features must be thoroughly tested, limiting every other factor. After all, these features can not compromise performance or functionality in the final product.
Final thoughts
Firmware development is a cornerstone of security for embedded systems, as it responds to vulnerabilities in critical sectors like healthcare, education, and government. Investing in this has never been more vital. By enabling features like secure boot, encryption, OTA updates, and hardware-based trust mechanisms, firmware serves as the first line of defense against sophisticated threats.
Despite challenges such as limited resources and evolving cyber threats, strong firmware security practices can ensure reliable and protected operations across embedded systems. As the demand grows, the importance of firmware development in safeguarding our connected world cannot be overstated.
