Renesas RA Family MCUs Gains CAVP Certification
Renesas announced last year that RA devices received both PSA Certified Level 2 and Security Evaluation Standard for IoT Platforms (SESIP) certifications.
Renesas Electronics Corporation has reported that the security engine of its RA Family of 32-bit Arm Cortex-M microcontrollers (MCUs) has been certified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cryptographic Algorithm Verification Program (CAVP).
The drivers to utilize the certified SCE9 Protected Mode are included in the RA Family Flexible Software Package (FSP) v3.6.0 and later.
“With CAVP certification, in conjunction with the existing SESIP1 and PSA Certified Level 2, Renesas provides the industry’s most comprehensive IoT security solutions,” said Roger Wendelken, Senior Vice President in Renesas’ IoT and Infrastructure Business Unit. “Customers in a broad range of connected application segments can implement the RA family with supreme confidence that their data will be secure.”
“The SCE9 doesn’t just pack a significant amount of cryptographic compute power, but getting rid of a serial interface (usually I2C) to an externally connected device provides various advantages, said Mario Noseda from Zurich University of Applied Sciences, School of Engineering. “The high clock frequency of the internal data bus greatly reduces the data transmission time between the MCU and the SCE9. But even more important is the complete elimination of a point of attack, which is a huge selling point for an MCU containing the SCE9.”
The Renesas RA6M4, RA6M5, RA4M2, and RA4M3 MCU Groups all received NIST CAVP certification of a comprehensive suite of cryptographic algorithms, including multiple modes of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), hashing, Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) key generation and authentication, Key Agreement Schemes, and Deterministic Random Bit Generator (DRBG).
NIST CAVP certification provides independent verification of the correct implementation of the cryptographic algorithms, which is vital to ensure connectivity interoperability.
Renesas announced last year that RA devices received both PSA Certified Level 2 and Security Evaluation Standard for IoT Platforms (SESIP) certifications.
Renesas’ unique integrated security architecture provides a time and energy-efficient solution with unlimited secure key storage. An independent evaluation to compare SCE9 Protected Mode operation to a selection of industry-leading secure elements was recently completed.
The new Security Key Management Tool provides a straightforward mechanism for preparing keys for secure installation and updates, supporting development, production provisioning, and key updates for products in the field.
In addition to these widely recognized industry certifications, Renesas RA MCUs offer customers the ultimate IoT security by combining Secure Crypto Engine IP with NIST CAVP certifications on top of Arm TrustZone® for Armv8-M.