Arm to Deliver CHERI-based Prototype to Tackle Security Threats

By Nitin Dahad, EETimes
October 28, 2019

A UK government program to tackle the inherent security flaws in most of today’s computing infrastructure is funding Arm to the tune of $46 million (UK £36 million) to develop a prototype board using CHERI, a DARPA supported RISC processor ISA update that uses capability-based tokens for fine-grained memory protection and scalable software compartmentalization.

The British government announced it is funding Arm to develop new technologies that are more resistant to cyber threats, as part of its wider ‘Digital Security by Design’ (DSbD) initiative. The latter is also backed by Google and Microsoft. Arm chief architect and Fellow Richard Grisenthwaite commented, “Our first step is to create prototype hardware, the Morello Board, as a real-world test platform for prototype architecture developed by Arm that uses the University of Cambridge’s CHERI protection model. It will enable industry and academic partners to assess the security benefits of foundational new technologies we’re making significant investments in.”

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