Let’s talk about SEALSQ and its solutions for the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) sector. (We also cover select IoMT topics on one of our sister sites, IoT Evolution World. Consider checking it out.)
First, some background:
For roughly 25 years, SEALSQ (the “SQ” standing for “semiconductors + quantum”) has prided itself in being, quote, “one of the very few semiconductor companies in the world designing and developing certified secure microcontrollers while also implementing secure, post-quantum cryptography.” In efforts to make security easier for everyone to really get a handle on, SEALSQ equips its customers – spread across industries in 50+ countries – to build secured-by-design devices and systems that ensure privacy and safety for the exceedingly connected world in which we live and work.
More technical details:
SEALSQ’s vertical security suite is based on “FIPS-compliant and Common Criteria-certified elements, factory or cloud-based provisioning services, and a managed PKI SaaS platform.” SEALSQ has filed 130+ patent applications, and its research engineers develop secure hardware, firmware and root-of-trust services for customers ranging from large electronic equipment manufacturers to luxury consumer brands. (e.g. Cisco, Identiv, Siemens, Motorola, Thales, Dior, Atmel, Inside Secure, WISeKey, etc.)
So, the long-story-short SEALSQ elevator pitch?
SEALSQ produces, tests, and delivers technologies that have been installed in 1.6 billion devices worldwide, and its team provides key parts and security components for applications like controlling physical access to facilities, securing communications and authenticating devices for both government and consumer purposes, provisioning remote IoT sensors for logistics and agriculture, and protecting sensitive patient data in healthcare fields.
All of the above is important; no arguments there. But for our purposes today, let’s home in specifically on that last part:
Healthcare.
SEALSQ solutions currently support medical industry applications; its Smart Card reader chips are used to read patient cards in HID reader terminals purchased by some of the largest national healthcare systems in Europe, and its PKI solutions are utilized for securely ensuring the confidentiality of patient data and hospital systems information.
But now, SEALSQ has more.
In late April, SEALSQ announced new technology strategies involving IoMT secure elements (SEs).
For context, an SE is a microprocessor chip that can a.) store sensitive data, b.) can be embedded in virtually any mobile device, and c.) runs applications protected from unauthorized and/or malicious access. While researching this further, I discovered – and wanted to share – an SE-related note from Kaspersky, the renowned cybersecurity and anti-virus solutions provider. Kaspersky describes how “smartphones and tablets, hardware cryptowallets, and other new-age devices use SEs,” and they can store and process PIN codes, passwords, fingerprints and other biometrics, payment info, etc. And Thales (one of names that places trust in SEALSQ) notes how SEs basically “act like vaults, protecting the applications and data inside from typical malware attacks and other hacks.”
So, back to SEALSQ’s chip innovations. One of the latest from SEALSQ is its VaultIC408, an SE that “boasts FIPS 140-3 certified firmware running on a CCEAL5+ level tamper-resistant hardware platform.” This is important for protecting critical IoMT applications like home patient monitoring hubs and modules, as its design prioritizes efficient operation with minimal reliance on extra external components; this streamlines integrations in harder-to-access patient environments.
SEALSQ’s secure element can be pre-provisioned at wafer level or on package to meet the flexibility and security needs of IoMT. Once provisioned, SEALSQ’s chips embed private keys and certificates aligned with standards like Matter (i.e. for freer and more reliable connectivity), Wi-SUN (i.e. for longer-range, lower-power networks connecting IoT nodes), and OPC (i.e. Open Platform Communications, for seamless exchange of data developed by industry vendors, end-users and software developers). Aligning with the aforementioned standards significantly benefits medical device-making efforts by cost effectively reducing time-to-market and simplifying overall device interoperability.
Notably, SEALSQ is also working on, quote, “cutting-edge, trailblazing IoMT patient data technologies” involving on-body patient devices like smartwatches, diabetes care units and hearing aids, as well as home medical monitors and niche diagnostic tools for hospitals.
When you boil things down, readers, it’s pretty clear that IoMT has more than just creative potential for transforming what we consider to be modernized healthcare. Interconnectivity channeled through methods like SEALSQ’s holds big-time promise for enhancing patient care and optimizing resource allocation for medical professionals.
Data-driven healthcare will continue paving the way.
Edited by
Greg Tavarez
