Product category:
Embedded Software and Operating Systems
News Release from: Green Hills Software | Subject: Padded Cell Secure Hypervisor
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 27 February 2008
Hypervisor provides hacker-proof
software
The Padded Cell Secure Hypervisor and its EAL6+ compliant security policies enable breakthroughs for many of the world's long unresolved security problems.
Green Hills Software has released the world's first secure hypervisor The Padded Cell Secure Hypervisor supports the widest range of computing platforms, from embedded devices to enterprise desktop and server systems
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 4 Mar 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Software supports legacy code
Padded Cell Secure Hypervisor supports general purpose desktop and server operating systems such as Solaris, Red Hat Linux, BSD and Windows.
IDE and compiler optimised for latest PowerPC
The latest version of the Green Hills MULTI 2000 integrated development environment is aimed at Motorola's new MPC7450 PowerPC microprocessor.
It runs on top of Green Hills Software's Integrity separation kernel.
"Many people believe that hypervisors are the solution to security problems".
"But existing hypervisors actually make security problems worse by providing another avenue for attack", said Dan O'Dowd, founder and Chief Executive Officer, Green Hills Software.
Further reading
Green Hills has the lot for Cirrus Crystal
The latest IDE, RTOS and embedded internet connectivity products from Green Hills Software are for the Cirrus Logic Crystal CS89712 32bit RISC commmunications processor.
Easier real-time high-availability embedding
Green Hills Software has integrated its MULTI 2000 integrated development environment and fault-tolerant Integrity RTOS with Rational Software's visual development environment.
Development environment for embedded Linux
A new version of the MULTI 2000 IDE from Green Hills Software will help simplify the development of sophisticated applications for embedded target systems running the Linux operating system.
"Everybody has become accustomed to the fail-first, patch-later mentality adopted by the world's largest software organisations and products".
"The fact is that it is possible to build totally secure, hacker-proof software upon which critical computing assets and resources can depend".
"Our introduction of Padded Cell Secure Hypervisor continues to demonstrate this by pushing the envelope of applications that can benefit from our proven approach to safety, security and reliability".
In addition to the compartmentalisation and virtualisation of guest operating systems, the Padded Cell Secure Hypervisor and its EAL6+ compliant security policies enable breakthroughs for many of the world's long unresolved security problems, including the ability to: safely browse the internet and use email; trust the launch and execution of virus scanning software; protect sensitive personal and medical records from compromise; guarantee the authenticity and integrity of cash withdrawals, wire transfers, point of sale transactions and other high value financial enterprises; and ensure the availability and validity of electronic voting systems.
Padded Cell Secure Hypervisor also enables the safe, secure, reliable execution of hard real-time applications and guest operating systems in a wide range of emerging embedded devices targeting the networking, medical, industrial and automotive markets.
Many commercial hypervisors suffer from the same complexity, architecture and vulnerability problems that result in poor security within typical desktop operating systems and applications.
In fact, security experts have shown that software-based virtualisation can actually reduce platform security.
Vulnerabilities in a hypervisor can enable an attacker to take over not just one operating environment, but all the operating environments running on the computer.
The Green Hills Software approach avoids all of these problems by using proven separation between virtual machines and by ensuring that the virtualisation software itself runs as an application, unable to circumvent the security policies of the separation kernel.
In the IT world, Padded Cell Secure Hypervisor supports general purpose desktop and server operating systems such as Solaris, Red Hat Linux, BSD and Windows.
In the embedded world, Padded Cell Secure Hypervisor runs guest embedded operating systems such as Integrity, VxWorks and Linux.
Padded Cell Secure Hypervisor takes advantage of the latest hardware virtualisation support, including Intel vPro technology, to provide optimal virtualisation performance without sacrificing security".
"Intel vPro processor technology resolves key concerns around security with such features as Intel Virtualisation Technology and Intel Trusted Execution Technology that are finding broad acceptance among developers of embedded, mobile and desktop systems", said Gregory Bryant, Vice President, Digital Enterprise Group and General Manager, Digital Office Platform Division, Intel.
"Taking advantage of the capabilities of Intel vPro processor technology, Green Hills Software is able to enhance the security capabilities of its Integrity PC".
Green Hills Software's Integrity PC is a software platform designed for the military, intelligence, financial, medical and other critical infrastructure communities where PC users must manage and protect high-value information.
Integrity PC is based on the safety and security-certified Integrity real-time operating system and Padded Cell Secure Hypervisor.
The platform enables systems designers to build the most security-critical applications and run them alongside familiar operating environments, saving cost, size, weight and power over multiple hardware platforms.
Therefore, even as it improves flexibility and security for PC users, Integrity PC is reducing energy use and CO2 emissions.
The Padded Cell Secure Hypervisor runs on commercial, off the shelf computing platforms. Request a free brochure from Green Hills Software ...
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