ARM quietly building a formidable Internet of Things security arsenal

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ARM's Internet of Things aspirations have been given a shot in the arm after it acquired Offspark and its reputable security portfolio to double-down on the protection its platform can offer.

The deal includes the Dutch company's PolarSSL product, an IoT security layer that can used for various devices like smartphones, sensors and communication modules, and it will also add Offspark's security and cryptography to its mbed platform.

Financial details on the deal are thin on the ground, yet the two did confirm that PolarSSL will be rebranded as ARM mbed TLS.

Krisztian Flautner, general manager, IoT business, ARM, commented that it's all part of ARM's grand plan for IoT security, which he admitted "must be the foundation of any IoT system".

IoT security is nothing new

ARM isn't the only member of the chipmaker fraternity building up an IoT security arsenal. Intel is already treading a similar path by adding features such as Enhanced Privacy ID, which allows the addition of a hardware-based identity that is able to be used for authentication.

McAfee, now owned by Intel, also announced Enhanced Security for Intel IoT Gateways, which provides higher quality security management for gateway devices and has a role to play in assisting older systems connecting to the Internet for the very first time.

• Could Offspark protect you from malware? Probably yes. But pick one from our list of best free antivirus of 2015 if you're on a PC.