Japan Rad Develops High-Speed Application Pre-Execution Verification Engine “PEV” to Prevent Unauthorized App Execution in SDV Era

Background of Development
Key Features of PEV
Future Deployment and Availability
About Japan Rad Co., Ltd.
Inquiries

Background of Development

The automotive industry is transitioning from hardware-centric designs to SDV, where functions are defined and updated by software. Similarly, industrial and consumer devices are increasingly adopting IoT connectivity, cloud integration, and remote updates. While these advancements enhance convenience, they also introduce significant challenges in defending against unauthorized software intrusion and tampering.

In environments that rely on software updates and external connections, it becomes critical to have a mechanism that verifies whether applications and libraries executed after the OS boots are indeed legitimate. Traditional security measures like Secure Boot and Trust Boot primarily focus on verifying the bootloader and OS during startup. PEV addresses the need for continuous software authenticity verification throughout the product’s lifecycle, including during use, after updates, and during maintenance.

International regulations underscore the importance of such solutions. The UN Regulation No. 155 by UNECE addresses vehicle cybersecurity and cybersecurity management systems. Furthermore, the European Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) will mandate cybersecurity compliance throughout the product lifecycle for digital-element products starting November 2027. PEV has been developed to meet these market demands by providing pre-execution defense at the application layer for embedded, edge, and automotive-related devices.

Key Features of PEV

PEV offers several distinct advantages for enhanced device security:

Pre-execution verification: Authenticates applications and libraries before they are executed.
Broad compatibility: Supports verification of interpreters (e.g., sh/Bash) and various services.
High-speed engine: Minimizes the performance load on devices during operation.
Enhanced attack resistance: The verification engine itself is obfuscated to improve its resilience against attacks.
Update support: Compatible with application and library updates.
Cloud service integration: Facilitates easy follow-up during development and evaluation phases.
Platform support: Currently compatible with Linux and Android environments.

Future Deployment and Availability

While Secure Boot verifies the authenticity of bootloaders and operating systems during device startup, and Trust Boot ensures a trusted boot path and execution environment, PEV focuses on verifying applications, libraries, and interpreters after the OS has booted, just before their execution. Therefore, PEV does not replace Secure Boot or Trust Boot but rather complements them, extending the scope of protection to the higher application layer.

Japan Rad plans to deploy PEV across a wide range of sectors requiring software updates and robust security measures, including automotive systems, industrial equipment, consumer electronics, and IoT devices.

Currently, PEV supports Linux and Android (Kernel 5.13 or later). An evaluation version will be provided free of charge to customers who enter into an evaluation agreement.

About Japan Rad Co., Ltd.

Japan Rad Co., Ltd., celebrating its 55th anniversary, is a Tokyo Stock Exchange Standard-listed company (Stock Code: 4736) specializing in contract software development and system integration combining hardware and software. Since its establishment in 1971, the company has provided innovative core technology solutions and full-turnkey system construction and operation services. Following a change in family leadership in 2023, Japan Rad has accelerated its focus on technology, actively developing products and solutions in cutting-edge fields such as AI, IoT, and security, while also working on higher value-added services in existing areas like cloud, medical, and video analysis. The company aims to be a leader in manufacturing DX and industrial IoT, having formed a strategic business and capital alliance with Advantech, a global leader in industrial computers, and actively developing its own AI products.

For more information, visit the Japan Rad Co., Ltd. website:
https://www.nippon-rad.co.jp/