Software security systems can have loopholes that let anyone walk in. What if security did not rely on software at all?
When you build or use any system today, security cannot be ignored. The moment we connect our devices to the internet or share data, we open a door for hackers. Software security is very prevalent as we all use it in one form or another. In a world where threats keep evolving, staying secure is not just a choice; it is a need. But by relying only on software for protection, are we making any mistakes? Software can have bugs, and even a tiny mistake can let attackers slip in. If the system handles sensitive or critical data, depending only on software becomes risky, and that is where stronger hardware-based security starts to make a difference. Now the question is, do we have 100% hardware-only security systems to remove software loopholes?
In an interview with Mohan Jindal, Founder and CEO of Chipspirit Technologies, we learned about fully hardware-only security devices. Mohan explained, “Software remains important, and our idea is to add an extra layer of security on top of it. The goal is not to replace software-based security but to strengthen it by adding something additional to the solutions already in use today.”
With hardware-based security, the risk does not exist in the same way because there is no single processor that can be halted and exploited to reveal the keys. “Hacking such hardware-based security systems is almost impossible,” added Mohan. It is clear that hardware-based security systems are more secure than software-based systems. So are a lot of people making such systems? We tried to get a clear answer on this from Mohan. To which he replied, “There are a few companies working on hardware‑based security. I have heard of a couple in Europe. But even in those systems, some software functions are still used.”
Although Mohan was also very curious to know whether, as far as a fully hardware‑only system is concerned, they are the only ones doing it. He added, “Through this interview, I also want to stress something I have been searching for over the past seven years. I have been trying to find a fully hardware‑based, no‑software security solution from anywhere in the world. I have not seen one yet. There may be private developments that are not public, but in the public domain and in my own knowledge, nothing like that exists so far, at least not in the security domain.”
With the rise of AI, there is expected to be a significant increase in security attacks, creating a growing demand for solutions that operate without any CPU or software core. This brings us to a crucial question: as the world faces more cyber attacks, can a fully hardware-only security system become a reality?
The full interview, which discusses hardware-based security systems in detail, is coming soon.
