ProvenRun Partners With Kalray to Secure MPPA™ Many-Core Processors for Cyber-Physical Systems

ProvenRun, a leader in embedded security, announces a strategic partnership with Kalray (Euronext Growth Paris: ALKAL), a pioneer in processors for intelligent systems, to bring more security to Kalray's many-core MPPA™ architectures. This partnership aims to meet the growing security needs of so-called "CPS" (Cyber-Physical Systems) — platforms that are in direct interaction with the physical world. As part of this partnership, ProvenRun brings to Kalray a recognized expertise in security architectures and will offer its secure firmware solutions and certified OS to Kalray's MPPA™ customers for high-end security services.

Why Cyber-Physical Systems Need Security Built In From the Start

The rise of artificial intelligence is about to revolutionize markets. Tomorrow's autonomous cars, future aircraft engines, or robots share the same need: access to new CPS platforms to process, via increasingly sophisticated algorithms, an increasing amount of data and functions. These processes must be performed while ensuring that the strict safety and security requirements shared by these different industries are met.

As CPSs become more self-reliant and accountable, the security risks they face or create increase at the same pace. In addition, CPSs must also face a global increase in risks related to the emergence of increasingly sophisticated and well-funded hackers. CPS designers must address this issue by ensuring that security is integrated into the design of a CPS from the beginning, down to the lowest levels of hardware and software.

Merely protecting the perimeter of a CPS, using a firewall for example, is no longer sufficient. This issue is amplified by the constant increase in the level of connectivity available to CPSs, with a variety of communication mechanisms both local (WiFi, Bluetooth, V2X, etc.) and remote (LTE, LPWAN, satellite, etc.).

The Automotive Cybersecurity Gap

Today's avionic and automotive platforms do not use the security features applied, for example, in the computer industry or in the banking sector. According to a Frost & Sullivan analysis of the connected-vehicle market: with a majority of vehicles expected to be connected to the internet and dozens of vulnerabilities present per vehicle, cybercrime poses a real threat to the industry. If OEMs are unaware of the cybersecurity aspect, they risk compromising their users, the value of their brand, and their financial and moral obligations. With the digital revolution, modern vehicles are equipped with high-tech architecture and communication systems that require computer security. Modern vehicles run millions of lines of code, and with security research broadly estimating roughly one vulnerability per thousand lines of code, that scale alone represents meaningful hacking risk.

Executive Perspectives

Eric Baissus, Chairman of Kalray's Management Board: "We are very pleased to partner with ProvenRun to provide our customers with the smart solutions of tomorrow with a very high level of security. ProvenRun's expertise in security architectures, their secure OS and firmware solutions will enable our MPPA™ intelligent processors to meet the growing needs for high security services."

Dominique Bolignano, President and Founder of ProvenRun: "ProvenRun is pleased to be involved in the development of Kalray and to participate in the success of the MPPA™ platform. This partnership will enable us to combine at best our mutual expertise, share our understanding of the needs of the CPS market and deliver security solutions to meet the most critical security issues."