Powering Tomorrow’s Protection: Samsung System LSI Leads in Innovation Security Technologies

Our immune system, the first line of defense in protecting our health, protects our bodies from external threats such as germs and is one of the most critical factors in preventing and recovering from disease. Security features are incorporated into various products designed by Samsung System LSI, including application processors, display driver ICs (DDIs) and image sensors. Like the immune system that protects our bodies, security features play a vital role in protecting products from external intrusion. If security is compromised, various security incidents such as personal information leaks, hacks, and cyber security attacks can occur across multiple devices, with potential damage affecting not only individuals but also nations. To create a system that prevents these security issues, Samsung System LSI is integrating security technologies into various hardware and software components, striving to provide customers with more secure and reliable products. Let's take a closer look below at the "immune systems" each product is equipped with.
 

Securing the Digital Brain: Enhancing SoC and AI Model Protection

As the brain of a device, the System on Chip (SoC), a core semiconductor solution that integrates various functions such as CPU, GPU and NPU on a single chip, requires robust security measures to ensure the safe processing of sensitive data and maintain user confidence.

Handling a wealth of sensitive personal information, SoCs have long struggled to enhance security by developing security solutions based on traditional encryption algorithms (DES, AES, RSA, ECC, SHA, etc.) since their inception.

However, the advent of quantum computing has threatened the security of these legacy cryptographic algorithms. Recently, NIST¹ held a competition for Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and officially announced three standards (ML-KEM, ML-DSA, SLH-DSA) in August, 2024. In response, Samsung System LSI has secured PQC H/W accelerators and S/W technology in mobile-integrated LSI solutions such as SoCs and embedded Security Elements (eSEs), and some products achieved the Common Criteria (CC) certification at EAL5+², validating its reliability and security.

In addition, the rise of on-device AI, enabling AI computations on mobile devices, has increased threats to the security, privacy, and personal information handled by AI models. To protect AI models from these threats, we have independently developed a security solution using NPU virtualization technology to protect AI models, which is planned for commercialization.
 

Safeguarding the Senses of Automotive Systems

These are products that play a similar role to the organs responsible for the human senses. Image sensors and displays are good examples. Initially, these products did not receive much attention in terms of security, even though they handled personal information and require user trust. However, with the advancement of AI or attack techniques, they are facing various security threats such as deepfakes, signal jamming, and denial of service attacks.

Furthermore, as autonomous driving technology advances, the security of image sensors and DDIs in vehicles becomes increasingly crucial. As real-life incidents of vehicle security breaches have begun to surface, governments in the US and Europe are placing a greater emphasis on automotive cybersecurity. They are recognizing the critical need for robust protection measures for these products.

To fundamentally prevent such attacks, security technologies are being developed and mass-produced to securely protect the F/W of panel DDIs and touch DDIs. By ensuring the use of genuine firmware, it prevents the exposure of key information such as user-entered PIN information and screen configurations.

The ISOCELL Auto, Samsung System LSI’s automotive image sensor, is designed with security hardware IP that protects the safety and assets of the vehicle, greatly enhancing the security of the product. This technology supports an anti-tampering function that ensures the image from the sensor is delivered to the user as closely as possible to how it was captured, guaranteeing a driving environment identical to the user's vision.
 

Enhancing Security from Immune Roots 

The human immune system is made up of various immune cells and molecules that work together to protect the body. Similarly, robust H/W and S/W security components, act as immune cells and molecules, to protect the product.

The eSE, which functions like an immune molecule, significantly enhances the security of SoCs by storing critical information (keys, certificates, etc.) required for the SoCs to operate and performing data storage and computation for secure booting. Furthermore, various security IPs and security S/W solutions, acting like the body's immune cells, securely perform the most fundamental cryptographic operations, and serves as the core foundation of the entire security immune system.

Samsung's security components have been officially recognized for their security and have achieved high-assurance certifications (EAL5+ or EAL6+) in product CC certifications.

Samsung System LSI has been accumulating security technology expertise for over 20 years, starting with security technologies for smart card development. We have been striving to develop comprehensive security technologies in various fields to strengthen the immune systems of our products. The security technologies we are developing now will be the cornerstone for strengthening the immune systems of other cutting-edge technologies such as AI, robotics, aerospace and in the future.

_{¹⁾ National Institute of Standards and Technology.
²⁾ Common Criteria (CC) is an international standard (ISO/IEC 15408) for evaluating the security of information technology products. The Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) indicates the depth and rigor of the security evaluation, with higher numbers representing more thorough assessments.}