What Is Hardware Security, and Why Is It Important?

Hardware security refers to the protection of your device components, such as the keyboard, mouse, CPU, monitor, disks, machines, and peripheral components, from malware attacks, tampering, unauthorized access, and other malicious activities. It focuses on removing the vulnerabilities of device components to prevent illegal access to the main software dashboards. Hardware has specific sub-components, such as firmware, which is low-level software, and BIOS, or UEFI, used for booting a computer. Malware attacks and infects hardware firmware and BIOS to compromise the programs. Hardware security is related to protecting these foundational software from malware and virus infections.

Hardware Security

In addition to this, there are peripheral devices like USB drivers, routers, SSDs, printers, etc. These peripheral gadgets also fall under hardware security. Viruses can infiltrate your device when you plug or connect these malware-infected widgets to your PC. Protecting hardware from malware infections is highly important to maintain another level of security. With this, we move on to our next important topic!

Why is Hardware Security Important?

Hardware security is the first line of defense against deadly malware attacks and virus infections in the following stages. It is the foundational layer that ensures system and network security. If the foundational layer of security is not secure, then you will not be able to maintain the software and network levels of security. For example, if you connect a tampered peripheral device to your computer, the malware will move to your PC. Once your PC is infected with malware and viruses, then it becomes exposed to a vast variety of cyber threats.

Cybercriminals use malware to steal your data, modify system settings, track online activities, and commit financial fraud. So, it is highly important to make sure your hardware components are secure and free of viruses when you connect them to your computer. Here are some more reasons why hardware security is important:

The First Line of Defense

Secure hardware prevents unauthorized users from interfering, alter, or steal data from your device. It is a first line of defense that plays a key role in restricting attackers from exploiting software vulnerabilities. If the foundation of the software security frontline is not intact then the following layers are also likely to fall one by one. Secure hardware is crucial to creating a healthy environment for the software programs to run without any error.

Blocks Firmware Attacks

Attackers target low-level software in the device to get access to the main device. You need to secure these low-level codes in the peripheral gadgets to ensure the device’s integrity. It stops malicious codes from interfering with the gadget codes and spreading the virus infection to the main operating system.

Data Protection and Encryption

Some components like TPMs and Secure Enclaves have encryption protection in them. It protects sensitive data from theft and unwanted access. Sensitive and cryptographic keys in hardware-based encryption are stored in isolated and breach-proof space. As a result, bad actors cannot locate the information and do any malicious activity.

Neutralize Supply Chain Attacks

Most of our digital devices are manufactured at different places and assembled at others. In this whole process, components are liable to become infected with the viruses. You need to ensure that your components are secure from supply chain attacks before you use them. Otherwise, you are exposed to deadly malware infiltrations and cyber attacks. That is where hardware-based protection comes in. It protects your components from supply chain attacks.

Support for Critical Infrastructure

Secure digital components are highly important to maintain critical infrastructure and confidential data of big pharma companies, healthcare, finance, and government. Any breach in component security leads to huge losses, and safety risks at public and national level security. Therefore, maintaining a digital shield is highly essential to keep bigger facilities running without any errors.

How Do Hardware and Software Work Together?

Hardware and software are the complementary parts of a device that provide a user experience when they interact with each other and work together. The physical components like CPU, RAM, and hard drive store the codes that software provides. On the other hand software such as operating systems (OS), and other software in the device controls PC functionalities and operations. In this chain, the operating system acts as software that translates the keyboard and mouse inputs, shows information on the screen, and moves things around. The hardware translates the inputs into digital codes and sends them to the other parts of the device where software processes the data and gives the end results. The data appears on the screen and it creates a user experience.

What Is The Difference Between Hardware and Software Security?

Hardware security is related to the physical components of a digital device. It includes measures like firewalls, proxy servers, firmware, BIOS, and UEFI. It is a foundational and first line of defense that helps in preventing deadly cyber attacks down the line.
Software security is a comprehensive term that includes firewalls, intrusion detection systems, antivirus software, system defenders, encryption software, and intrusion detection systems. It protects a computer or the Internet of Things from malware attacks, data theft, phishing, online scams, spying, Internet activity tracking, and more. It works at the programming level and focuses on securing your OS, apps, and executables from malware attacks. To maintain robust cybersecurity you need to ensure both hardware and software security.

Which Hardware Is Used For Storing Data?

There are lots of peripheral, removable, and internal components that are used for storing data. Here are some common examples of hardware that are used for storing data:

Hard Disk Drive(HDDs)

It is a permanent storage in a computer, or laptop that saves data even when the device is off. It is a widely used component for storing huge amounts of data on computers, servers, and external drives.

Solid State Drives (SSDs)

SSD is another most used storage that is used to save data intact for a long time. It is available in different sizes and you can easily install it on your PC. If we compare it to the HDD then the SSD is faster, durable, and ideal for high system performance and quick data access.

Universal Serial Bus (USB) Flash Drives

It is a removable and external media storage gadget that is small, compact, and easy to carry. It is available in different sizes with varied storage space. Having a small size you can easily carry it from one place to the other. You can use it to transfer files and maintain short-term data storage.

Memory Cards

Memory cards are permanent storage chips available in different versions such as SD cards, microSD cards, and CompactFlash cards. These chips range from a few gigabytes to hundreds of gigabytes. These compact chips are convenient options for mobiles, smartphones, tabs, digital cameras, and more for data storage.

Network-attached Storage (NAS) Devices

NAS is a large size of storage system that is connected to a network of end-points. It allows the storing of and retrieval of information from a centralized system using computers to authorized users. It houses multiple HDDs or SSDs in a RAID configuration. Network-attached Storage is used in big businesses for automated data backups.

Optical Disc Drives

These are storage devices that include CD, DVD, and Blu-ray drives. If we talk about size then CDs hold up to 700 MB, DVDs up to 4.7 GB, and Blu-ray discs up to 50 GB or more. These discs are vulnerable as they are prone to scratches that lead to data loss. In comparison to the latest storage components, these are slower but reliable for long-term data saving. You can use them for data archiving, software distribution, and media playback.

Tape Systems

The tape system offers huge capacities that are capable of storing 15 TB of data. It is primarily used in enterprises and organizations for archiving data for the long term. Its read and write speed is slower in comparison to SSD and HDD and the data-accessing process is also slower since it is in sequential tapes.

Which Hardware Is Important For PC Security Purposes?

There are several hardware components that play an important role in protecting your PC from various types of threats. They help in securing data and maintain system integrity. TPM is the most important component of PC security. It creates and stores cryptographic keys to secure boot processes. It helps in verifying system integrity and protects sensitive data. Other hardware like biometric devices and security tokens are important but they do not make the backbone of the security. TPM creates a secure environment from boot to user access. Other than this here are some more examples:

Hardware Security Module (HSM)

It is a dedicated component for managing and securing cryptographic keys. The function of HSM is to encrypt, decrypt, and manage digital keys in highly protected conditions. It is used in banking, government, and huge organizations.

Hardware-Based Firewalls

Firewalls incoming and outgoing network traffic, prevents malicious content, and blocks unauthorized access. It acts as a barrier between internal and external networks and servers.

Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs)

It encrypts all the data on the storage device and protects it from illegal access. It is the most preferred system for data protection in corporate and high-security environments.

Biometric Security Devices

It maintains secure access using physical features including fingerprint, facial recognition, or retina scans. It verifies the identity of the user and allows them safe access.