Seclore for Semiconductor IP Protection
Data-Centric Security for Semiconductor IP Protection
Companies across the semiconductor industry’s supply chain invest billions of dollars in research and development each year. The intellectual property (IP) that they produce is critical for their competitive edge, and, increasingly, it’s being put at risk. The semiconductor industry suffered eight cyberattacks in 2022. With this number predicted to rise, many are driven to seek stronger protections.
The semiconductor industry is predicted to become a trillion dollar industry by 2030. Despite this enormous footprint, the number of players in the industry remains rather closeknit. Due to the extremely high startup costs and expertise required at each stage of the supply chain, fierce industry competitors all rely on the same small group of suppliers at each stage of the manufacturing process. The consequence of this interconnectivity? If any one supplier within the chain is compromised, everyone is affected.
As economies become more and more reliant on semiconductor production, countries like the United States, Taiwan, and others have started to view semiconductors as critical to their national security. As such, governments like the United States are making the move to onshore semiconductor production through initiatives like the CHIPs Act. In return, they ask that capital equipment manufacturers and semiconductor manufacturers become more vigilant about protecting their IP from insider threats, supply chain risks, and nation state attacks.
Data Security Challenges in the Semiconductor Industry
When it comes to data security, the semiconductor industry faces some unique challenges due to the sharing of sensitive intellectual property (IP) across a sprawling supply chain and the ever-present threat of a data breach. To learn more about the data security challenges commonly faced by the semiconductor industry and how Seclore can help, we encourage you to read our blog.
Companies at each stage of the semiconductor production process face unique challenges related to the role they play in the supply chain. While each organization has an area of expertise, one thing they all have in common is the need to protect sensitive data, containing critical R&D secrets and IP, from prying eyes. Here are some examples:
Capital Equipment Manufacturers
Not only is protecting this information critical for maintaining a competitive edge, but it is increasingly the target of nation state actors. Today, protection consists of little more than manual security audits and trust and a new approach for secure collaboration is urgent. With data theft on the rise and regulations forthcoming, capital equipment manufacturers need a new path to securing their most sensitive data to mitigate risk within the supply chain.
Semiconductor Manufacturers
While air-gapping facilities is effective for manufacturing, vast amounts of data is shared between semiconductor manufacturers and their suppliers, and semiconductor manufacturers and their clients before any actual manufacturing begins. Implementing secure collaboration between these parties is critical to maintain customer trust, competitiveness, and, increasingly, national security.
Semiconductor Industry Regulations
Seclore helps semiconductor companies achieve and maintain compliance
CHIPs Act
ITAR Regulations
NIST Compliance
Learn more about how Seclore helps you comply with NIST 800-171 regulations.
Seclore Secures the Semiconductor Industry
$225-600 Billion
21%
$4.24 Million
Areas of Risk for the Semiconductor Industry
Semiconductor intellectual property (IP) is highly confidential and vulnerable to malicious actors. Explore critical areas where the semiconductor industry may experience an increased risk of data theft and lack of compliance.
Explore the infographic: Malicious Insiders in the Semiconductor Industry
Area of Risk | Prevention |
|---|---|
Intellectual Property | Semiconductor employees share confidential material such as proprietary designs, pricing data, and costs with stakeholders within and outside the organization. |
Design Specifications | Companies provide manufacturers with designs and specifications to deliver new and improved components to fulfill ongoing requirements. |
Employee Data | Companies share employee data with external agencies for processing functions such as printing ID cards, setting up bank accounts, etc. |
Financial Data | The semiconductor industry sends financial data to external organizations to help the companies analyze credit risk. |
Operational Reports | Operational reports contain financial data and corporate sales information vital in planning business strategies. |
Mergers & Acquisition | Organizations participating in M&A activities should be vigilant when sharing data, even in a VDR environment. |
The Securing Semiconductor Supply Chain
Enhanced
Increased
Achieved
Eugenus Uses Data-Centric Security to Protect Intellectual Property (IP)
Eugenus sought out a holistic data-centric security solution that would stay with the data, even when they worked with third parties. They discuss how the Seclore data-centric security platform provides complete protection and allows them to track sensitive information like intellectual property – without additional deployment overheads.
Digital Asset Protection and Control for the Semiconductor Industry
The semiconductor industry is one of the most highly regulated in the world. Companies operating in this space must comply with various domestic and international regulations. They also rely on IP to remain competitive, making it necessary for them to comply with intellectual property law.
The chips produced by this industry appear in a wide range of products, from computers and cell phones to automobiles and medical devices. As such, the health of the semiconductor industry is crucial to the success of many businesses worldwide.
Download the datasheet to learn how Seclore helps the semiconductor industry protect and control their Intellectual Property (IP).
