Security Challenges and Cryptography in Embedded Systems

Embedded systems now days are integral part of our lives. They are used for various industrial automation purposes, service oriented applications like power, water distribution, healthcare and low cost systems like smart cards and PDA’s. Today, already more than 98% of all manufactured microprocessors are employed in embedded applications rather than in traditional personal computers. Embedded processors are already an integral part of many communications devices and their importance will continue to increase. Embedded systems exchange data and information both locally and globally using networking and wireless communication, thus making them vulnerable to various kinds of active and passive attacks. In this paper we provide an overview of the security requirements, security challenges and need of light weight cryptography in embedded systems.