Dutch chip manufacturer NXP Semiconductors has introduced a new IoT authentication device, part of its EdgeLock authenticator family, to raise security across multiple standards in various IoT ecosystems. The new NXP EdgeLock A5000 authenticator is described as a “scalable solution” for authentication applications in the IoT space. NXP cited “many IoT use cases”, in a press statement, including smart city infrastructure and industrial equipment.
The new EdgeLock secure authenticator line complements NXP’s EdgeLock secure element family, designed for more complex device ecosystems requiring “multi-tenant security, updatability, and crypto agility”. The EdgeLock A5000 secure authenticator is designed for authentication applications across the IoT lifecycle, to establish security in IoT data exchanges, covering device provisioning, updating, and regular communications
NXP said the A5000 will “reduce R&D efforts, simplify manufacturing and supply chain logistics, and comply with high-level security and ecosystem standards”. It works as a turnkey authentication plug-in with any type of microcontroller, microprocessor, or connectivity platform. It provides a Common Criteria EAL6+ AVA_VAN.5 (up to the OS) certified solution to enable authentication mechanisms.
It also supports a wide temperature range (-40 to +105 °C), to make it compatible for Industry 4.0 applications. It is being offered with application guidelines and software examples for individual use cases, including device authentication, cloud onboarding, inclusion in the Matter smart home ecosystem, smart metering, electric vehicle charging, wireless charging authentication, gaming and others.
A statement said: “Authentication plays an important role within IoT ecosystems, verifying device identities during secure communication, assessing whether data comes from trustworthy sources, checking authenticity of product sub-components to ensure overall systems integrity, product safety and performances, or verifying the authenticity of a product or component.”
Christian Lackner, senior director of IoT security and smart products authentication at NXP, said: “Authentication is pivotal to establish trust in secure devices within IoT ecosystems, but at the same time, implementing it is a challenging endeavor. The EdgeLock A5000 makes the development of secure devices easy and scalable, allowing developers to focus on differentiating their IoT solution.”
