01 / EMBEDDED
Secure boot, signed firmware, rollback and CRA technical preparation for connected devices. A process connecting architecture, updates, dependencies and verifiable evidence.
Platforms and tools follow your context. Some examples:
Embedded
Protection, updates and engineering evidence
Integrity · verification · bootFirmware chain of trust
Signing · versions · rollbackRecovery from update failures
Keys · access · provisioningIdentity management
Assets · surfaces · risksAnalysis of the actual system
Traceability · tests · documentsSupport for engineering work
Events · anomalies · verificationDevice observability
The technologies shown are examples.
Engineering support within your team, with shared tools and working methods.
TECHNICAL SCOPE
Product protection starts with attack surfaces and the expected lifecycle. Boot, access control, key management and updates are examined on the actual device. The CRA technical assessment connects findings to actions and documents: inventory, SBOM, dependencies, update policy and vulnerability handling.
I define the product baseline, exposed surfaces, key availability and intended support period with the team. Verified boot, update authentication and vulnerability handling address different concerns: the technical scope is stated before testing.
An update can be tested with a modified image, interrupted power and an application that does not confirm boot. Signing and recovery depend on architecture, configuration and bootloader integration. The selected framework’s name alone does not demonstrate the outcome.
Engineering report, verified scope, repeatable tests and remediation plan. The demonstrative IG-200 case shows how to organise an evidence pack and sample documents without presenting it as certification of a customer product.
Specify available hardware, firmware, update mechanisms, dependencies and security documentation.
It produces a technical scope, evidence, gaps and remediation priorities. It is not certification, a declaration of conformity or a legal opinion.
An internal Nordic nRF5340-DK project for updating embedded firmware through Bluetooth Low Energy when the device has no permanent Internet connection. Built with Zephyr, MCUboot and MCUmgr, it combines ECDSA P-256 signing, anti-downgrade rules, service mode, health checks and rollback.
From 11 September 2026, Cyber Resilience Act reporting duties begin. Learn what changes for embedded and IoT device manufacturers and how to prepare firmware, SBOMs, secure updates and vulnerability-management processes for 2027.
Post-quantum cryptography is no longer theory: NIST, the EU, OpenSSL and ST are pushing ML-KEM and ML-DSA into embedded and IoT. Here is what changes for TLS, secure boot, OTA and product lifecycle, with concrete trade-offs for MCUs, Linux gateways and compliance.
What the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark means for IoT and embedded product teams: firmware updates, secure boot, vulnerability handling and documentation.
A practical architecture guide for OTA firmware updates with rollback, A/B partitions, image validation and production-safe embedded device lifecycle management.
What bootloaders really do in embedded products and how architecture changes across MCUs, embedded Linux and FPGA-based systems.
How hardware roots of trust help embedded products protect keys, boot chains, firmware integrity and sensitive operations.
THE NEXT STEP
