Dutch semiconductor company NXP is simplifying security for IoT devices with EdgeLock SE052F, a hardware secure element with the latest FIPS 140-3 level-three certification.

The Federal Information Processing Standard level-three (FIPS 140-3) certification makes it easier to design secure IoT and industrial devices, providing differentiation with security capabilities and features, and ensures eligibility to participate in federal projects.

Part of the EdgeLock SE05x family, the SE052F combines the flexibility of a secure element with the latest US and Canadian federal standard for data security required by Nist for participation in federal projects. In addition, this standard has become an indicator of advanced security capabilities. This makes it easier to design secure and differentiated devices across the IoT and industrial markets, while improving time to market.

As security becomes increasingly important for smart connected devices, many industrial IoT device manufacturers are turning to certifications, such as Common Criteria or FIPS, as a differentiator for their design, even outside national or federal contracts. Using the FIPS 140-3 L3 certified SE052F secure element makes it easier for manufacturers to meet the requirements of the standard, accelerating time to market and reducing costs.

“The EdgeLock SE052F allows us to push the limit of edge device security within the physical security industry,” said Johan Paulsson, CTO at network security technology specialist Axis Communications. “It enables new Axis network cameras, access control, intercom and audio products to meet the FIPS 140-3 security requirements for cryptographic modules.”

Alasdair Ross, senior director at NXP, added: “Security is crucial to the success of the IoT. The EdgeLock SE052F enables hassle-free and flexible trust provisioning and FIPS certification for our customers, allowing them to bring differentiated products to market more quickly.”

The SE052F (NXP.com/SE052F) secure element is FIPS 140-3 L3 and Common Criteria EAL 6+ certified and offers flexible memory management and extended memory (100kbit). It also features cryptographic functionalities, such as ECDSA and ECDH/E based on Nist and Brainpool curves, RSA up to 4K (including key generation), and authenticated AES encryption modes CCM/GCM. The SE052F is supported by EdgeLock 2Go, offering remote key management, and follows the plug-and-trust approach used by all EdgeLock secure elements and secure authenticators. This ensures a complete product support package and provides example codes for a broad range of use cases to support a fast and easy design-in process.

• Seco (www.seco.com) is working with NXP Semiconductors to bring its Clea software to industrial and IoT applications. Clea is a full-fledged AI-as-a-service (AIaaS) platform; optimisation of Clea on NXP hardware should facilitate the deployment of AI models for device manufacturers across industrial and IoT applications.