# 258: Security Is Another Dimension

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2018-08-30
- Length: 59m
- Episode: 258
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-08-30-258-security-is-another-dimension
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/258-security-is-another-dimension

## Summary

Axel Poschmann, head of the hardware security lab at DarkMatter, discusses embedded security as a trade-off against usability and cost, emphasizing that perfect security is impossible. He outlines a practical workflow for securing IoT devices, including threat modeling, using constant-time crypto libraries, and leveraging low-cost third-party testing or university collaborations when budgets are tight. Poschmann also explains how hardware countermeasures like fuses and physical obfuscation raise the barrier for attackers, referencing standards like Common Criteria and resources such as Christof Paar’s cryptography lectures and ENISA’s guidelines.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-08-30-258-security-is-another-dimension#t=6) Introduction and Lightning Round
- [4:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-08-30-258-security-is-another-dimension#t=251) Security as a Trade-off and Risk Management
- [9:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-08-30-258-security-is-another-dimension#t=540) Standards, Guidelines, and ENISA Resources
- [13:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-08-30-258-security-is-another-dimension#t=801) Red Team Methodology: From JTAG to Side Channels
- [17:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-08-30-258-security-is-another-dimension#t=1063) Common Criteria Ratings and Exploitation Costs
- [24:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-08-30-258-security-is-another-dimension#t=1478) NXP Experience: Vulnerability Analysis and Secure Elements
- [31:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-08-30-258-security-is-another-dimension#t=1902) Open Source Hardware and Obfuscation Strategies
- [40:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-08-30-258-security-is-another-dimension#t=2428) Practical Security for IoT: Threat Modeling and Key Provisioning
- [52:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-08-30-258-security-is-another-dimension#t=3143) Industry Incentives, Hardwear.io, and Hiring

## Topics

- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- NXP (company)
- ENISA (other)
- Christof Paar (other)
- Hardwear.io (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [042 - Diwali in the Morning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/unnamed-reverse-engineering-podcast/2020-11-24-042-diwali-in-the-morning) (Unnamed Reverse Engineering Podcast)
- [How IoT Security is Evolving | Crypto Quantique's Shahram Mossayebi](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2022-07-26-how-iot-security-is-evolving-crypto-quantiques-shahram-mossayebi) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Embedded Cybersecurity Basics with Jacob Beningo](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-02-02-embedded-cybersecurity-basics-with-jacob-beningo) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [Hardware Security with Matt Brown](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2025-07-17-hardware-security-with-matt-brown) (The Amp Hour)
- [Offensive Cybersecurity with Ryan Torvik](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-04-09-offensive-cybersecurity-with-ryan-torvik) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-08-30-258-security-is-another-dimension. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Embedded.fm.