# The highest encryption standards on the sysWORXX CTR-700 | Expertise
As part of a preliminary development phase, SYS TEC electronic has further enhanced the security of the flexible sysWORXX CTR-700 control solution by integrating a dedicated cryptographic processor into the firmware of the Linux-based edge controller.
The chip used, from Microchip’s CryptoAuthentication™ family [1], enables secrets (known as cryptographic keys) to be stored securely in hardware. Furthermore, device certificates can now be cryptographically securely embedded in the sysWORXX CTR-700. This enables certificate-based device authentication in the operational environment.
The solution utilises algorithms recommended by both the BSI (Federal Office for Information Security) and its US counterpart, NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) [2][3]. Owing to these advantages, cryptoprocessors from the same series are also integrated into the IoT cloud services offered by Amazon (AWS IoT) and Google (GCP IoT Core).
The cryptoprocessor provides hardware acceleration for the key algorithms of asymmetric cryptography, based on elliptic curve cryptography. Thanks to the comparatively short, yet equally secure, key and hash lengths, this approach is perfectly suited to embedded devices. Specifically, the digital signature algorithm is based on the secp256r1 elliptic curve[4].
A PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) designed specifically for the sysWORXX CTR-700 is available to manage device certificates and device-specific keys. This ensures the authenticity of your device and enables the management of all necessary licence keys.
During implementation, we took care to ensure the solution remained flexible for our customers. On request, it is therefore possible to store additional data in the cryptoprocessor. This can be utilised in a variety of ways to protect customers’ own applications and licences. We would be happy to provide you with advice and practical support in adapting the solution to your specific applications.
[1] Microchip 2021: www.microchip.com/en-us/products/security-ics/cryptoauthentication-family
