With the growth in mobile devices, the Internet of Things and new electronics connecting formerly-isolated systems to the Internet comes new and rapidly evolving cybersecurity risks. Security professionals now consider protecting their systems against not only bad actors from outside the trusted network but also against malicious or incautious insiders and supply chains with potentially counterfeit parts. Currently, many electronic technologies are secured using encryption. Verification that a device can be used typically is performed by authenticating the user using passwords, biometrics or similar solutions. However, user verification protections have proven compromises, and the device components may themselves be compromised. Current solutions usually increasing the time and effort needed to develop and perform a compromise – essentially trusting that a bad actor won’t have or use the resources necessary to break the security. Security is usually layered according to risk, with more valuable systems generally secured with multiple layers of increasing security. However, “bad actors” with sufficient dedication, time, and resources have been known to compromise even systems deemed very secure.

LLNL’s Intrinsic Use Control (IUC) technology significantly enhances the security of electronic devices and components within the device. The technology is designed to protect electronics against not only the outsider with malicious intent but also the knowledgeable, skilled, privileged insider with malicious intent. The IUC system can add more layers of security to existing competitive solutions and can significantly increase the time and effort required to compromise an IUC-secured system.