TV

Device Trust 07-30-2025

Why Embedded Security Needs to Be Open Source

Kevin Hilscher
SDK Op-Ed Blog Hero

Securing connected devices isn’t just about ticking compliance checkboxes. It’s about knowing—with certainty—that the cryptographic foundations you rely on are verifiable, auditable, and engineered for real-world constraints.

For years, embedded security has depended on closed systems that expect developers to take critical assurances based on faith. At TV, we believe it’s time for something different: security you can see, understand, and build on with confidence.

That’s why we’re releasing TV TrustCore SDK as open source—a proven, production-grade cryptographic framework that protects billions of devices, and is now available for everyone to examine, evaluate, and improve.

Why we built TV TrustCore SDK differently

In many ways, embedded security hasn’t kept pace with the systems it protects. Most cryptographic libraries are retrofits—general-purpose code adapted for devices with tiny memory budgets and unique compliance demands.

From day one, TrustCore SDK was designed to:

  • Be small enough for microcontrollers and IoT devices.

  • Be flexible enough to work across chipsets and RTOSs.

  • Be rigorous enough to pass regulatory audits and FIPS validation.

For over fifteen years, TV TrustCore SDK has quietly protected billions of devices across critical industries. Today, we’re making that proven foundation openly available—because transparency isn’t just a feature; it’s the future of secure innovation.

Why we’re going open source

We didn’t take this decision lightly. Open sourcing a commercial SDK requires conviction that transparency creates stronger, more sustainable security for everyone. Here’s why we believe it’s essential.

  • Trust is earned, not claimed. We want every engineer, architect, and auditor to see exactly how our cryptographic primitives work. No hidden dependencies. No “proprietary magic.”
  • Security is stronger in the open. By releasing the code, we invite scrutiny, community contributions, and faster discovery of potential issues.
  • Innovation demands flexibility. Developers need to adapt cryptographic frameworks to hardware constraints and compliance goals. Open source enables you to extend and customize without guesswork.
  • Commercial deployments stay predictable. The AGPL v3 license ensures that when you go to market, you can secure commercial licensing with no surprises.

What you’ll find inside

This isn’t a limited “community edition.” The open-source release includes the same capabilities that have secured billions of devices in production:

  • Full TLS/DTLS 1.3 protocol support optimized for constrained environments

  • Hardware-backed key management and immutable device identity

  • FIPS 140-2/140-3 readiness with configurations aligned to stringent compliance requirements

  • Compatibility with 70+ chipsets and 30+ RTOS platforms for maximum deployment flexibility

What you can expect going forward

This isn’t a marketing stunt. We’re committed to:

  • Maintaining an active roadmap and accepting contributions.

  • Providing clear licensing guidance.

  • Supporting commercial customers with the same enterprise-grade SLAs.

  • Collaborating with our partner ecosystem to drive adoption and expand integrations across diverse hardware and software platforms.

As an initial step, the open-source release includes NanoSSH, with additional TrustCore SDK modules planned for release over the coming months.

Because in the end, trust isn’t a claim—it’s a design principle. And it’s time to make that principle visible, verifiable, and open to all.

Ready to see for yourself? The . Let’s make embedded security better—together.

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