Cyber Threats To The SECS/GEM Protocol In Smart Manufacturing


Semiconductors are an indispensable part of modern electronic products and are also a fundamental basis for the development of the AI industry. This industry is crucial for global economic growth and national security. As the semiconductor industry transitions to Industry 4.0, the connection between production equipment and factory networks has expanded the attack surface, providing adversaries... » read more

Strategies For Defense Against Fuxnet ICS Malware


According to recent cybersecurity media reports, a new destructive ICS malware named Fuxnet has been discovered. This incident is allegedly linked to the Blackjack hacker group, which is associated with Ukrainian security agencies. It involved a major attack on Moscollector, a Moscow-based company responsible for managing critical infrastructure such as water supply, sewage treatment, and com... » read more

Hardware-Assisted Malware Analysis


A technical paper titled "On the Feasibility of Malware Unpacking via Hardware-assisted Loop Profiling" was published by researches at Shandong University & Hubei Normal University, Tulane University and University of Texas at Arlington.  This paper was included at the recent 32nd USENIX Security Symposium. Abstract "Hardware Performance Counters (HPCs) are built-in registers of modern... » read more

Securing Chip Manufacturing Against Growing Cyber Threats


Semiconductor manufacturers are wrestling with how to secure a highly specialized and diverse global supply chain, particularly as the value of their IP and their dependence upon software increases — along with the sophistication and resources of the attackers. Where methodologies and standards do exist for security, they often are confusing, cumbersome, and incomplete. There are plenty of... » read more

Ensuring Your Semiconductor Test Equipment Is Protected From Rising Cybersecurity Threats


Cybersecurity threats pose risks to your business every day and can attack every aspect of your operation, and these threats are only increasing. According to IBM Security’s Cost of a Data Breach Report, in 2021, the average total cost of a data breach increased by nearly 10% year over year, from $3.86M to $4.24M – the largest single year cost increase in the last seven years. Sourc... » read more

Industry Pushes For Fab Tool Security Standards


The semiconductor industry is developing new cybersecurity standards for fab equipment in an effort to protect systems from potential cyberattacks, viruses, and IP theft. Two new standards are in the works, which are being formulated under the auspices of the SEMI trade group with leadership from chipmakers and others. Led by Intel and Cimetrix, the first standard deals with malware-free equ... » read more

Bricked IoT Devices Are Casualties Of Lax Semiconductor Security


Earlier this summer, a new strain of destructive malware known as Silex began to spread and effectively brick unprotected IoT devices. Although victims of Silex theoretically can resurrect their IoT devices by manually reinstalling factory firmware, most remain wary of an installation process that is often time consuming and complicated. Moreover, many victims assume their device has suffered a... » read more

Cost-Effective, Silicon-Based Security Reduces Risks, Achieves Competitive Advantage


IDC Spotlight, by Robert Westervelt, Research Director, Security Products, sponsored by Rambus. Device manufacturers are increasingly under pressure to address security and privacy. Cost-effective, silicon-based security is among the components that can significantly reduce the risk of physical attacks and cyberattacks and achieve a competitive advantage over both legacy and insecure solutio... » read more

Week in Review: IoT, Security, Autos


Products/Services Huawei Technologies is again delaying the public introduction of its Mate X foldable smartphone. It is unlikely the product will be marketed in the U.S., given the ongoing trade war. The official rollout now seems likely to come in November, in time for the holiday shopping season. Samsung Electronics has had its problems with foldable phones, yet those were due to manufactur... » read more

Week in Review: IoT, Security, Autos


Products/Services Synopsys agreed to acquire QTronic, a German company specializing in simulation, test tools, and services for automotive software and systems development. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of the company’s 2019 fiscal year. “The terms of the deal, which is not material to Synopsys financials, are not being disclosed,” Synopsys said in a statemen... » read more

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