Viaccess Orca teams with Rambus for strengthened security

TV technology outfit Viacess Orca has teamed up with digital security, chipset and IP specialist Rambus to strengthen its VO Shield root of trust solution.

VO will use Rambus’s CryptoMedia Content Protection Core to enable a hardware root of trust to be embedded directly in the multimedia chipset of devices, including TVs and set-top boxes.

VO Shield is a hardware-based security function embedded inside the VO Sentinel solution and dedicated to fighting control word sharing and chipset breaching.

Cédric Hardouin

VO Shield enables operators to add hardware-dedicated algorithms inside the chipset, strengthening the fight against chipset piracy. The Rambus CryptoMedia Content Protection Core is a separate, on-chip security block that protects and stores cryptographic keys and computations from attacks. According to VO, the core is resistant to a wide range of attacks, including side-channel attacks, while providing the flexibility to integrate with Viaccess-Orca CAS or DRM solutions.

“This collaboration will be a cutting-edge response to the compromises that exist in hardware devices used to watch pay-TV services. By adding our CryptoMedia Content Security Platform and Protection Core to its VO Shield solution, Viaccess-Orca will set a new standard for content security. We look forward to building on this collaboration and reaching new heights in content protection,” said Bret Sewell, SVP and general manager of the Rambus Security Division.

“We have been investigating several tracks in the silicon domain to strengthen our security offering, and Rambus provides best-in-class technology to protect against hardware compromises. With CryptoMedia Content Protection Core already available in the chipsets of main silicon vendors, and roll-outs with Tier 1 operators expected to take place before the end of this year, Rambus offers a proven approach that greatly benefits our customers as they look to provide a superior and more secure content experience,” said Cédric Hardouin, EVP R&D at Viaccess-Orca.