24.06.2025

Secure Your Hardware – 5 Hot Tips

In a world where digital threats are constantly evolving, security doesn’t start with software — it starts with hardware.

Think of it as building a house: if the foundation is weak, no amount of high-tech locks or alarm systems will keep the intruders out. The same is true in electronics — compromised hardware can undermine every other layer of cybersecurity.

So, what exactly is secure hardware, why does it matter, and how can you build it? Our expert Mikko Vulli breaks it down in this blog – keep reading!

What Is Secure Hardware – And Why Should You Care?

Secure hardware and electronics are designed with protection in mind from the very beginning — from sourcing components and designing the circuit board to manufacturing and final deployment.

The benefits?

Digital trust: in the era of increased cybercrime, customers and users can rely on your product.
Business continuity: avoid costly breaches and downtime.
Regulatory compliance: meet industry standards and avoid legal risks.
Reputation protection: one security incident can ruin years of good work.

5 Hot Tips for Secure Hardware

Know your environment and threats
Is the most probable thread actor a script kiddie trying to hack your product for fun? Or a competitor trying to take a look at your algorithms and secrets? Are there regulations which dictate security requirements for the system? Define your threat model early and tailor your security strategy to real risks.
Product lifecycle
Even the best design can be compromised by shady manufacturing or sourcing. Work with trusted partners. Validate the integrity of your design, components, and production processes.
Secure system design
Where are the assets you’re protecting? On the internal Flash or RAM of the MCU, or perhaps on some external memory? Are the secrets accessible by tapping into the memory bus? Place assets securely. Consider using secure elements, encrypted memory, and hiding sensitive signals in the PCB layers.
Layers of security
If your most critical asset was a bar of gold, you would have a sturdy safe for it. The safe would be in a locked room, which would be in a locked house. There would be a proper fence around the house, motion detectors covering the yard, and an alarm system inside the house. So, if someone gets through the fence, they still need to penetrate quite a few layers of security. In electronics you have an enclosure, PCB design choices like hidden signals, tampering detection and even active mechanism to destroy components containing sensitive data.
Leave no open invitations for unwanted guests
Disable interfaces which are not used or needed. Do you really need the debug interface on the production version of the PCB – or could you get rid of the test points as the electronics are working already?