embedded systems
What generates the fastest profit for cybercriminals? Attacking systems that can help them access confidential information or finances directly. Therefore, it’s no surprise that entire groups of cybercriminals specialize in embedded systems: primarily ATMs full of cash, payment systems where transactions can be intercepted, medical equipment where personal data is processed and stored, and so on. All these devices often have less than an adequate level of security (both cyber and physical), making them a convenient target for attackers.
The classic challenge of protecting embedded systems running Windows is that their hardware typically becomes obsolete much slower than their software. These are often expensive devices that organizations won’t replace simply because the operating system has stopped receiving updates. The result is a high percentage of embedded devices with limited resources due to their narrow specialization, outdated software, and an operating system that’s no longer supported by manufacturer.
The end of support for Windows 10 is exacerbating this last issue. A multitude of devices that are perfectly capable of performing their primary functions for years to come will never be able to upgrade to Windows 11 — simply because they lack a TPM module.
The situation isn’t much better in the market for embedded Linux devices. Those built on x86 processors generally have newer hardware — but even that becomes outdated over time. Furthermore, many new embedded systems running Linux are based on the ARM architecture, which has its own specific requirements and challenges.
Because of these unique characteristics, standard endpoint security solutions are a poor fit. Protecting these devices requires a product equipped with technologies that can effectively counter modern threats targeting embedded systems. At the same time, it must be capable of running not only on modern hardware with the latest OS versions, but also on resource-constrained devices, and should be able to provide ideal stability in “unattended” mode, plus compatibility with specific embedded software. Ideally, it should be manageable from the same console as the rest of owner’s IT infrastructure, and support integration with corporate SIEM systems. As you’ve probably guessed, we’re talking about Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security.
How Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security can help
We’ve talked repeatedly in this blog about the specific challenges of securing embedded systems, and our take on the same. However, Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security continues to evolve. In late November, we released a sweeping product update that enhances both the Windows and Linux versions.
What’s new in Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security for Windows
Our experts have overhauled the solution’s codebase, adding a range of advanced threat detection and blocking mechanisms. The cornerstone of this update is a full-fledged behavioral analysis engine, which powers several technologies essential for modern device protection:
- Our non-invasive Automatic Exploit Prevention technology, already proven in other products, is a reliable tool for blocking the exploitation of known and new vulnerabilities. It’s been instrumental in helping our experts discover numerous zero-day vulnerabilities in past years.
- Our advanced Anti-Cryptor technology serves as an additional layer of defense against ransomware. Leveraging the behavioral engine, it now more effectively detects and blocks local attempts to encrypt files.
- Our Remediation Engine is designed to roll back malicious changes made to a device. Even if attackers manage to bypass other security mechanisms and execute malicious code, its activity would be promptly detected, and all changes it made reverted. This is also particularly effective in combating ransomware.
Another technology added to the updated Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security for Windows is BadUSB Attack Prevention. In a BadUSB attack, a malicious device that mimics a legitimate input peripheral — most often a keyboard — is connected to the target system. Through this device, the attacker can then cause all sorts of problems: input their own commands, intercept data entered from other devices (such as the login credentials of a service technician), cause denial of service, and more. This threat is especially relevant for embedded systems installed outside a company’s physical security perimeter. A BadUSB device plugged into the port of a standalone ATM in a remote rural area can go unnoticed for months and, unless blocked by a security solution, inflict significant damage.
We’ve also added our firewall to the solution. This allows administrators to control network access for specific applications via rules based on predefined trust levels for that software. Since an embedded device typically has a limited set of tasks, it makes sense to only permit network access for the applications that genuinely need it to function properly, while blocking all others. This not only makes life harder for attackers attempting to communicate with command-and-control (C&C) servers or exfiltrate data, but also reduces the risk of the system being used as a platform to attack the rest of the corporate infrastructure.
Finally, for administrator convenience, we’ve added a security status indicator, or a “traffic light”. This provides an at-a-glance assessment of how thoroughly each device is configured, showing whether all critical protection technologies are enabled, or if an administrator needs to review the settings and check the device’s security posture.
What’s new in Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security for Linux
We’ve also significantly enhanced the new Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security for Linux. While most of the improvements boost the effectiveness of existing protection mechanisms, one fundamental change is our revamped application allowlist control system. It now uses certificate-based signing to streamline the process of updating the system and the applications required by the embedded device.
Unlike Windows, Linux systems don’t have a universal, ready-made certificate infrastructure that we could simply support. Therefore, at the request of one of our largest customers, we built our own. As a result, there’s no longer a need to regularly create and completely redeploy a full golden system image to every device — though, of course, you can continue to do this if your company needs it for any reason. Now, you simply need to sign a new application with your certificate, and the allowlist system in Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security will accept it and allow it to run without any further issues.
Another new technology in Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security for Linux is Web Threat Protection. The average usage model for embedded systems implies that it’s not the most useful feature on a device without a direct user. However, in practice, there are scenarios where embedded systems do use web protocols. For instance, some PoS devices require access to a corporate web-based CRM system, and the medical terminal can communicate in the same way with the internal portal that manages patient data. Such system could be compromised by attackers to perform a watering hole attack — infecting machines that connect to it. Furthermore, this protection is essential when using Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security on a regular computer with an outdated OS and no hope of updating it, rather than on an embedded system.
Future development plans for Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security
The next major product update is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026. In it, we plan to:
- Achieve full compatibility between Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security and the Kaspersky Managed Detection and Response This will allow our SOC experts to assist companies that use embedded devices in detecting complex, stealthy threats, and providing recommendations for effective incident mitigation.
- Integrate the BadUSB attack prevention technology into Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security for Linux, mirroring the capability already available in the Windows version.
- Add support for the ARM architecture to Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security for Linux, enabling us to provide comprehensive protection for the new energy-efficient embedded systems that are rapidly gaining market share.
You can learn more about Kaspersky Embedded Systems Security on the official product page.
