In today’s environment, every device is a potential security threat. The risks include in-flight attacks, denial of service attacks, packet injection attacks, time manipulation attacks, and more. The first step to building a resilient and secured infrastructure is to assume that every component is an attack vector that can be used to subvert disrupt, deny, and destroy physical infrastructure and services, exfiltrate data, extort money, or coerce action.

“Every component” refers to every smart phone, tablet, PC, server, switch/router, USB device, processor, memory/storage/IO module, power and cooling units, firmware, IoT device, or vehicle. A component attack can be mounted by counterfeit component substitution through the supply chain – where components are intercepted and replaced or tampered with during transit – by compromising embedded firmware to create persistent backdoors, silently exfiltrate information, and render system firmware and operating system defenses ineffective.

Major attacks like the 2013 Target retail store data breach illustrate the importance of continued innovation at the hardware and software level for data security. These attacks can devastate companies, costing millions of dollars and exposing customers’ sensitive data.

How then do companies assess component authenticity? How does one know what components are inside of enclosures and if they are genuine? How does one know that a system that has been in service for months or years not been tampered with or replaced? Read our latest white paper to find out how Gen-Z provides component authentication, the foundation for a secured infrastructure.