November 17
6
I
ndustrIal
C
omputIng
& C
ommunICatIon
Combining flash storage and security
meets industrial requirements
By Oliver Winzenried,
Wibu-Systems
CodeMeter offers the protection,
licensing, and security technology
required nowadays in embedded
solutions – ready for the Industrial
IoT. The combination of flash storage
and security in one device enables
solutions never thought possible with
separate devices.
n
Wibu-Systems is a leading vendor of sophis-
ticated security and licensing software tools
and hardware secure elements (CmDongle)
for all common types of software. The flag-
ship technology, CodeMeter, safeguards the
integrity of data, applications, and digital
communication, while adding versatile and
granular licensing capabilities to pave the way
for innovative business models. Both capabil-
ities are combined in CmDongles with inte-
grated flash memory for the strongest and
most comprehensive production technology
in the market. CodeMeter enables to meet
the following trends in the Industrial Internet
of Things. Connected systems are replacing
closed infrastructures, software is replacing
hardware, business models are evolving, the
architectural landscape is diversifying, and
new use cases and services are being released.
Illegal counterfeiting, re-engineering, and
illicit copying are threatening the invaluable
know-how of companies everywhere. This is
not a new danger, as similar threats, such as
sabotage, manipulation, or espionage via mal-
ware or wiretapping, have long become a sad,
but all too familiar reality. The time of iso-
lated solutions has long passed, as industry is
moving towards the connected world of IIoT
(Industrial Internet of Things). This opens
new avenues for attacks, as machines have
begun to communicate via TCP/IP networks
that are open and inherently insecure. A soft
underbelly has been exposed to new types of
threats. Protection strategies are now required
in many places where they were never needed
before. Reports about hacked cars or medical
devices accessed surreptitiously from sim-
ple laptops abound and demonstrate how
important data security and integrity have
become in our daily lives. Hackers cost the
economy millions, as evidenced by the recall
of 1.4 million Jeeps by Fiat Chrysler in the
United States after a hacker attack.
CmDongles with integrated flash memory
include the CodeMeter smart card chip with
added space for more than 1,000 licenses and
cryptographic keys and the full complement
of CodeMeter security functions. The built-in
flashmemory can be accessed like any disk and
includes different sized data partitions. Each
CmDongle with flash memory comes with a
CmPublic and CmSecure partition that can
be read and written to through the CodeMe-
ter API without being recognized as a disk by
the host. The USB stick models include addi-
tional CmPrivate and CmCdRom partitions.
The four partitions are unique to these highly
integrated dongle designs and easily config-
ured to accommodate new product or design
strategies to match the user needs. CmDon-
gle is available in USB stick, microSD card,
SD card, CF card, and CFast card versions.
Whatever the form factor, the full CodeMeter
security feature set is always on board. This
includes symmetric and asymmetric encryp-
tion, signatures, and the storage of X.509 cer-
tificates. The card versions are equipped with
SLC flash memory, while the industrial-grade
USB model has up to 8GB SLC (Single Level
Cell) flash memory, compared to 2-bit MLC
(Multi Level Cell) flash memory for its com-
mercial-grade cousin. Selected CmDongle
variants with flash memory can operate at
temperatures from -40°C to +85°C. The SLC
flash memory technology was chosen for its
long lifespan, low power consumption, mem-
ory protection with AES encryption, and
long availability in the market. In short: these
CmDongles are ready for industry!
Why add flash memory if all CodeMeter secu-
rity features are available on the non-flash
CmDongles as well? Because of the many ben-
efits of the combination product. The first is
lower costs. In economic terms, any reduc-
tion in the number of components implies
a reduction in administration costs. It also
enables industrial-grade design. The devices
promise a longer productive life of its com-
ponents operating without breaks or faults.
CmDongles with flash memory are designed,
produced, and prepped for industrial
applications. Their long life and long avail-
ability reduce the Total Cost of Ownership
