BlackBerry securing in-vehicle software for post-quantum cyberattacks
(TextWireAsia) BlackBerry Limited has announced that it will provide support for quantum-resistant secure boot signatures for NXP Semiconductors’ crypto-agile S32G vehicle networking processors in a demonstration to illustrate how to mitigate the risk of potential quantum computing attacks on in-vehicle software.
While NXP is based in the US primarily, the semiconductor company also has plants around the world, with the Asia Pacific region playing a significant role in its production. The new integration will allow the software to be digitally signed using NIST’s CRYSTALS Dilithium digital signature scheme that will be quantum-resistant.
The collaboration is set to guard against an increasingly risky future when quantum computers will be able to easily break traditional code signing schemes. The Code Signing and Key Management Server from Certicom by BlackBerry leverages the NXP S32G chip’s secure boot flow to achieve fast and agile quantum protection.
Using quantum-resistant signature schemes such as Dilithium for low-level device firmware, over-the-air software updates, and software bills of material mitigates the risk of potential quantum computing attacks on critical software updates, addressing a major security concern for a number of industries.
According to Joppe Bos, Senior Principal Cryptographer at NXP Semiconductors, as quantum computers continue to advance in development, it’s increasingly important to work to secure today’s systems against these future threats.
