# #002: The secrets to building secure & scalable OTA infrastructure with Nick Sinas

- Show: [Coredump Sessions](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions)
- Published: 2024-12-18
- Length: 57m
- Episode: 3
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-12-18-002-the-secrets-to-building-secure-scalable-ota-infrastructure-with-nick-sinas
- Listen: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/memfault/episodes/002-The-secrets-to-building-secure--scalable-OTA-infrastructure-with-Nick-Sinas-e3196an

## Summary

Nick Sinas, CTO at Oval, and Chris Coleman, CTO at Memfault, discuss the critical importance of Over-the-Air (OTA) updates for connected devices, emphasizing that OTA must be designed into the hardware architecture from day one. They detail the technical requirements for secure, scalable OTA systems, including bootloader design, memory management, and cloud-side cohort rollouts to mitigate fleet-wide risks. The conversation highlights real-world failures, such as breaking future update capabilities due to stack overflow fixes, and stresses the need for rigorous testing, security best practices like signing keys, and fallback mechanisms like dual-bank architectures.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-12-18-002-the-secrets-to-building-secure-scalable-ota-infrastructure-with-nick-sinas#t=1) Introduction: Nick Sinas and the Water Meter Horror Story
- [3:55](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-12-18-002-the-secrets-to-building-secure-scalable-ota-infrastructure-with-nick-sinas#t=235) Why OTA is Non-Negotiable: Manual Updates and Field Failures
- [9:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-12-18-002-the-secrets-to-building-secure-scalable-ota-infrastructure-with-nick-sinas#t=565) Building OTA into Hardware: Bootloaders, Memory Maps, and Architecture
- [16:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-12-18-002-the-secrets-to-building-secure-scalable-ota-infrastructure-with-nick-sinas#t=997) Cloud-Side OTA: Cohorts, Load Balancing, and Staged Rollouts
- [21:47](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-12-18-002-the-secrets-to-building-secure-scalable-ota-infrastructure-with-nick-sinas#t=1307) OTA in Regulated Industries: Medical Devices, Security, and FDA Guidelines
- [29:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-12-18-002-the-secrets-to-building-secure-scalable-ota-infrastructure-with-nick-sinas#t=1774) When OTA Breaks Itself: Case Studies of Bricked Devices and Stack Overflows
- [33:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-12-18-002-the-secrets-to-building-secure-scalable-ota-infrastructure-with-nick-sinas#t=2017) Minimizing OTA Risk: Testing, Fallbacks, and Recovery Strategies
- [39:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-12-18-002-the-secrets-to-building-secure-scalable-ota-infrastructure-with-nick-sinas#t=2394) OTA and the Matter Standard: Challenges with Smart Home Protocols
- [46:37](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-12-18-002-the-secrets-to-building-secure-scalable-ota-infrastructure-with-nick-sinas#t=2797) Networking Stacks, Constraints, and Reliability: LWIP, Zephyr, and NetX
- [51:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/coredump-sessions/2024-12-18-002-the-secrets-to-building-secure-scalable-ota-infrastructure-with-nick-sinas#t=3064) Security, Scale, and the OTA Future: Compliance and Hardware Acceleration

## Topics

- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Debugging & failure analysis](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/debugging-and-failure-analysis)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)
- [Wireless & RF](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/wireless-and-rf)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Memfault (company)
- Oval (company)
- Pebble (company)
- Zephyr (other)
- LWIP (other)
- NetX (other)
- Matter (other)
- FDA (other)
- TPM (other)
- CryptoCell (other)
- Arcturus (other)
- MCU Boot (other)
- TUF (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [390: Irresponsible At the Time](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-10-21-390-irresponsible-at-the-time) (Embedded.fm)
- [451: From Concept to Launch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2023-06-08-451-from-concept-to-launch) (Embedded.fm)
- [Interview with Phillip Johnston Part 1](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-11-15-interview-with-phillip-johnston-part-1) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [IoT Device Security throughout a Solution's Lifecycle | Twilio’s Evan Cummack](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-02-02-iot-device-security-throughout-a-solutions-lifecycle-twilios-evan-cummack) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [The IoT Security Landscape Today and in the Future | CableLabs' Kyle Haefner](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2021-01-04-the-iot-security-landscape-today-and-in-the-future-cablelabs-kyle-haefner) (IoT For All Podcast)

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