October 11, 2016 –Wibu-Systems introduced the OPC UA Security Extension. The collaboration between Unified Automation and Wibu- Systems has resulted in Unified Automation's ANSI C based OPC UA SDK, a set of tools that helps incorporate the secure licensing features of Wibu-Systems' CodeMeter in any OPC UA project.
One of the main benefits in terms of security is the ability to store the private encryption keys for creating OPC UA security profiles no longer in a file, but rather in the smart card embedded in any of CodeMeter’s hardware secure element (CmDongles).
Manufacturers active in the automation industry can therefore benefit from the ability to use the OPU UA standard for cross-vendor, platform- independent M2M communications while availing themselves of CodeMeter's integrated security mechanisms that are working quickly and seamlessly in the background.
The secure and reliable sharing of data in Industry 4.0 can only be possible if every individual actor, from machines to the smallest sensor, is identified unequivocally and communication is not manipulated. At that point, each networked device knows with whom it is allowed to share untampered data.
Developers who want to upgrade their projects with the OPC UA SDK can choose between a purely software-based solution with OpenSSL or a hardware-based variant and work with a special library of CodeMeter Embedded.
CodeMeter provides secure key storage for the private keys of OPC UA certificates and licensing information of machine configurations that cannot be modified by unauthorized personnel. As a hardware safeguard, CmDongles are available with USB interfaces or as memory cards (SD, microSD, CF or CFast) or ASICs in a small VQFN package. The securely stored keys are used for symmetric and asymmetric encryption, ensuring the identity of the devices and the confidentiality and integrity of data.
