10 companies to test next generation cybersecurity technologies from the University of Cambridge and Arm

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Ten companies from across the UK have been given the opportunity to trial potentially game-changing prototype cybersecurity technology as part of a Digital Catapult initiative.

The new cybersecurity technology – which has been jointly developed by the University of Cambridge, SRI International and Cambridge-based Arm – will be made available to the 10 companies through Digital Catapult’s Digital Security by Design Technology Access Programme.

If implemented, it is estimated that the new technology could help prevent around two thirds of hacks, cyber attacks and data breaches.

The Cambridge-SRI research team has redesigned the architecture of a computer’s central processing unit (CPU) – its brain – to make it less vulnerable to cybersecurity breaches. This new architecture is called CHERI.

Arm has been collaborating with the Cambridge researchers to integrate CHERI into the Arm architecture since 2014 and has this year launched a prototype system on chip and demonstrator board, containing the prototype architecture, known as Morello. These Morello boards are now being made available to industry for testing.

The 10 chosen companies will have access to the CHERI-enabled Morello prototype board, technical guides and support. They will also get up to £15,000 in funding to support them during their experimentation periods.

The aim is for the companies to test the CHERI technologies within their own businesses and provide feedback on their findings. This will then be used to influence the development of future, more secure computer systems by design.

Jeremy Silver, CEO of Digital Catapult, said: “Digital Catapult’s unique combination of technology, industry, and innovation expertise puts us in an excellent position to help tackle new market challenges associated with advanced technology adoption.

“Our Technology Access Programme’s first cohort will see 10 businesses get hands on with groundbreaking cybersecurity tools from industry leaders – allowing them to build their organisational resilience and provide invaluable feedback to shape the security landscape of the future.”

Image credit: Pete Linforth from Pixabay