The Research Institute for Secure Hardware and Embedded Systems (RISE) is hosted at the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), Queen’s University Belfast and has been funded since 2017 by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), with the support of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). RISE aims to be a global hub for research and innovation in hardware and embedded systems security.
Importance of Hardware Security
The UK National Cyber Strategy 2022 outlines the need to ‘ensure that wherever possible the next generation of connected technologies are designed, developed and deployed with security and resilience in mind and … embrace a ‘secure by design’ approach’. Indeed, one of the 3 pillars of the UK’s National Semiconductor Strategy, published in May 2023 focusses on ensuring that the ‘importance of hardware for cyber security is considered, and more widely prioritised, at the design stage of chips’.
But today’s semiconductor industry faces serious security challenges due to advanced cyber threats and complex geopolitics. This is exacerbated by both the complexity of securing microelectronic systems across their lifecycle, and the reliance on third-party IP, overseas foundries, and third-party test facilities. This outsourcing introduces hardware-based threats, including counterfeiting, IP piracy, reverse engineering, and trojans.
Compounding the issue, unintentional design flaws in Integrated Circuits (IC) can go undetected for years, further exposing the supply chain to vulnerabilities across all IC design and manufacturing stages. With the drive towards Net Zero, security solutions also need to be as energy efficient as possible.
Effective hardware and embedded systems solutions are becoming increasingly important in a range of industries and applications. Examples include:
- Connected devices/IoT: Hardware security is essential for connected devices, such as sensors in autonomous vehicles or network-connected medical devices, as it provides a foundational layer of protection against physical and cyber threats. In such connected environments, hardware security ensures that the devices themselves are trustworthy, protecting sensitive data and preventing unauthorized access.
- Cyber physical systems (CPS): CPS systems integrate digital components with physical processes, typically in environments where safety, reliability, and real-time responses are needed. Hardware security provides the backbone for ensuring that CPS can perform securely and safely, especially in critical infrastructure, autonomous systems, and industrial applications.
- Advanced manufacturing /Industry 4.0: These systems involve safety-critical, highly interconnected, and automated operations across industrial, manufacturing, and logistical processes. Hardware security offers foundational trust to such systems, protection against unauthorised access, protection of sensitive data, tamper resistance, and assurance of real-time operations, reducing the risk of downtime and operational disruptions.
- Critical national infrastructure (CNI): Sectors like energy, water, transportation, telecommunications, and others underpin society’s ability to function. Hardware security is crucial for CNI as it provides resilience against cyber and physical attacks, preventing service disruptions, protecting sensitive data and providing assurance that CNI operate securely and reliably, helping to build public trust and confidence in these fundamental services.
RISE is set up to foster research into these security challenges, to contribute to the security goals set out in the National Cyber Strategy and National Semiconductor Strategy.
RISE Objectives
- Conduct and support research in hardware and embedded systems that addresses security throughout a device’s lifecycle, from the initial design & manufacture through to its operational environment.
- Grow the UK hardware & embedded systems community by bringing academia & industry together and facilitating networking opportunities.
- Grow the UK’s skills in hardware and embedded systems security.
- Support development and pull-through of hardware and embedded systems technologies.
- Build a strong network of national and international research and innovation collaborative partnerships.
- Support policy issues and standards activity relevant to RISE.
RISE is one of four multi-institution Research Institutes in Cyber Security funded by NCSC and EPSRC with the aim of developing the UK’s cyber security capability in this strategically important area. The other institutes are:
Research Institute in Science of Cyber Security (RISCS)
Research Institute in Trustworthy Industrial Control Systems (RITICS)
Research Institute on Verified Trustworthy Software Systems (VeTSS)