Lattice Launches New Sentry Solution Set and SupplyGuard Service

Lattice Semiconductor Corporation recently announced the launch of the Lattice Sentry™ solution set and SupplyGuard™ supply chain protection services . Sentry is a combination of high-quality resources, including customizable embedded software, reference designs, IP and development tools, which can accelerate the realization of secure systems that meet NIST Platform Firmware Resilience (PFR) guidelines. By delivering factory-locked devices that are protected from attacks such as cloning and malware injection, Lattice SupplyGuard extends the system protection provided by Sentry throughout today's challenging and rapidly changing supply chain while enabling the secure transfer of device ownership. These hardware security solutions are increasingly important for a variety of applications in fields such as communications, data centers, industrial, automotive, aerospace and client computing.

Key features of the Lattice Sentry solutions stack include:

Hardware security features - The Sentry solution set provides a pre-validated, NIST-compliant PFR implementation that enforces strict real-time access control to all system firmware during and after system boot. If corrupted firmware is detected, Sentry can automatically roll back to a previously known good version of the firmware, ensuring that secure system operations are not interrupted.

◆ Compliant with the latest NIST SP-800-193 standard and CAVP certified - the solution set implements hardware RoT through the Lattice MachXO3D™ FPGA series devices that support strict encryption.

◆ Ease of use – Developers can drag and drop Sentry’s proven IP blocks into the Lattice Propel design environment and modify the provided RISC-V C language reference code without any FPGA design experience.

◆ Reduce time to market - The Sentry solution stack provides pre-verified and tested application demos, reference designs and development boards that can reduce the development time for PFR applications from 10 months to just 6 weeks.

◆ Flexible, security solution for all platforms - Sentry provides full, real-time PFR support for firmware and programmable peripherals. It can be used as a RoT in the system and/or supplement the existing BMC/MCU/TPM-based system to make it fully compliant with the NIST SP-800-193 standard.

Key features of Lattice SupplyGuard supply chain protection services include:

◆ Provide strong security protection throughout the entire life cycle of the device - SupplyGuard is a subscription service launched by Lattice that allows OEMs and ODMs to calmly deal with supply chain risks by tracking locked Lattice FPGAs throughout the entire life cycle from product manufacturing to global supply chain transportation, system integration and assembly, and initial configuration and deployment. SupplyGuard protects OEMs in the following ways:

• Ensure that only authorized manufacturers can produce OEM designs, regardless of where they are located.

• Provide OEMs with a secure key mechanism to prevent activation of their IP on unauthorized components, blocking product cloning and overbuilding.

• Protect devices from downloading and installing Trojans, malware, or other unauthorized software, and protect platforms and systems from device hijacking or other cyber attacks.

Flexible , low-cost implementation – SupplyGuard is customizable to meet the specific security and supply chain needs of OEMs in each industry served by Lattice. The service significantly reduces the operational costs associated with implementing a secure production ecosystem.

“5G, edge computing and the Internet of Things are accelerating the pace at which devices are connected, and security is a growing concern for high-tech OEMs serving every market,” said Patrick Moorhead, president and founder of Moor Insights & Strategy. “Developers need to know their hardware platforms are secure from cyberattacks and IP theft. They need security solutions that protect throughout the lifecycle of their products in the field, which means they must be able to dynamically adapt to the evolving threat landscape.”

“Lattice continues to execute on its solutions roadmap and strategy to provide customers with easy-to-use system-level solutions for key applications,” said Deepak Boppana, senior director of product and solution marketing at Lattice. “The Lattice Sentry solution stack makes it easy for customers to implement a hardware root of trust (RoT)-based PFR solution that complies with the NIST SP-800-193 standard . With Sentry’s proven IP, pre-verified reference designs and hardware demos, developers can modify the C code provided by the RISC-V and Propel design environments to quickly customize PFR solutions, reducing time to market from ten months to six weeks.”

The traditional security paradigm is changing, and firmware has become an increasingly common attack vector. The National Vulnerability Database reports that the number of firmware vulnerabilities grew by more than 700% between 2016 and 2019[1]. Protecting systems from unauthorized firmware access requires dynamic, persistent, and real-time hardware platform security for all connected devices. This includes protecting component firmware from unauthorized access and enabling systems to automatically protect, detect, and recover from attacks as soon as they occur. Hardware security solutions based on TPMs and MCUs typically use serial processing and cannot provide the real-time performance of parallel processing solutions like Lattice FPGAs.

“To help customers navigate an unpredictable and risky supply chain environment, Lattice developed SupplyGuard to help them securely provision devices while reducing overall costs,” said Eric Sivertson, Vice President of Security at Lattice. “With Sentry and SupplyGuard, Lattice will deliver a comprehensive, truly parallel, nanosecond-responsive, next-generation security approach that enables dynamic trust for customers and the users of their products.”