ZARIOT, Kigen, and The @ Company stem chaos in IoT through true E2E encryption and SIM

As the Internet of Things (IoT) scales, it shall touch upon almost all aspects of everyday life, as a consequence of which, everything (i.e. living and non-living things) will have a counterpart virtual identity on the internet which would be readable, addressable and locatable. Although this empowers users with 24×7 connectivity around the world, unknowingly they would also provide it permission to peep into the user’s personal world, which can generate a huge risk on the usability of IoT by users.

This was famously brought to headlines around warnings of cyber-security and privacy risks of connected exercise equipment used by US President Joe Biden. As consumers embrace connected devices and services, inadequate levels of basic security, such as encryption and authentication schemes risk consumer mistrust.

This is where collaboration is needed to bring together the strengths of device security, the learnings from the Internet (and mobile connected apps) – around encryption and network security. Actions now could ease the path for developers and device manufacturers as well assure and empower users – driving adoption of trusted IoT services.

Today, ZARIOT, The @ Company and Kigen announce the availability of a solution using end-to-end (E2E) encryption and SIM-based technologies to guarantee data privacy and control. In partnership with Kigen, the SIM, eSIM or iSIM can be used as a tamper-proof root of trust on cellular IoT devices of all kinds. This includes pacemakers, remote security cameras, and asset trackers.

This technology benefits businesses and consumers alike by simplifying not only provisioning and management, but security, data privacy, and ownership in a landscape of increasing public demand and regulation.

Robust SIM security opens new possibilities in IoT data privacy

ZARIOT and The @ Company’s innovative solution is for IoT device manufacturers, solution owners, and systems integrators, who need a future-proof solution, data security, and privacy compliance; and want simple, scalable, provisioning. Building on shared foundations of privacy and security, the three companies aim to deliver secure connectivity that supports the entire long-term IoT solution at scale. 

This approach simplifies the delivery of IoT solutions. The solution can be retrofitted to any cellular device with an eUICC SIM and can bring a level of security to “things” that previously missed certification processes. Unlike other solutions, this does not leave data visible at any point, provides verifiable security and privacy, and does not require added device hardware.

The solution at a glance

Utilising the SIM makes possible true end-to-end, network layer encrypted data security for IoT devices, without the requirement of gateways and VPNs, or additional device hardware such as a TPM. The elegant, open-source solution will reduce cost, increase security, and can be retrofitted to many existing solutions and devices. 

The full solution is detailed in this white-paper, focused on the real-life requirements of end customers and their users.

“Strong authentication and a standardized approach to trust are fundamental to how our interactions with IoT will be shaped,” said Vincent Korstanje, CEO at Kigen. “This collaboration extends the stringent levels of security across SIM, eSIM, and iSIM, with Kigen OS portfolio and OPEN IoT SAFE, to assure the user that their data is securely exchanged between peers thus protecting their privacy.”

Simple provisioning

I had the pleasure last year to announce our OPEN IoT SAFE offering along with simple principles that can support enterprises, device makers and service providers to ease the secure provisioning of devices. We need more approaches that support the diverse set of device makers from new untapped markets for Cellular IoT. This joint solution from ZARIOT and The @ Company leverages Kigen for the secure bootstrapping, SIM profile activation, secure the connection to the network via Remote SIM Provisioning and private/public key exchange to ensure end-to-end secure communications are established with the device maker’s environment.

Utilising the SIM makes possible true end-to-end, network layer encrypted data security for IoT devices, without the requirement of gateways and VPNs, or additional device hardware such as a TPM. The elegant, open-source solution will reduce cost, increase security, and can be retrofitted to many existing solutions and devices. 

Further excerpts

“The best way to get your customers to trust you with their data is to never require them to give it to you,” said Barbara Tallent, co-founder and CEO of The @ Company. “We believe that data privacy is a fundamental right and that securing all devices on the network is the key to true privacy for people and entities. It is our goal to make that easy for developers.”

“In IoT, this is an opportunity not just to bring encryption and security, but also simplified provisioning and management for the (often considerable) lifetime of IoT devices,” commented Dawood Ghalaeiny, CEO of ZARIOT. “This kind of flexible long-term solution reduces operating costs upfront, and also over the life of the business – something enterprises often fail to consider when launching a new product.”

Find out more

This innovation will be featured at Mobile World Congress – Barcelona on March 2^nd. ZARIOT and Kigen will collectively explore how eSIM will help realize Massive IoT adoption at the 5G IoT Summit. Jimmy Jones, Head of Security at ZARIOT and my colleague Loic Bonvarlet, VP of Product and Marketing at Kigen (connect on LinkedIn) will discuss the landscape of eSIM, security features, and emerging trends.

If you would like to experience the event first hand, please request a pass here, or book a meeting to find out more on how you can take advantage of this development.

Read the full news release

PR Newswire

Read the solution white-paper