Canadian technology firm BlackBerry unveiled a new cybersecurity software product called Jarvis, which will initially be marketed to automakers, the company’s chairman and chief executive John Chen said on Tuesday in a company statement.
“Connected and autonomous vehicles require some of the most complex software ever developed, creating a significant challenge for automakers who must ensure the code complies with industry and manufacturer-specific standards while simultaneously battle-hardening a very large and tempting attack surface for cybercriminals,” Chen said.
He added that Jarvis can be used in healthcare, industrial automation, aerospace, and defense.
According to the company, Jarvis is a cloud-based service that can scan and identify vulnerabilities in software used in automobiles. It also delivers deep actionable insights in minutes.
How Jarvis works
Blackberry will offer Jarvis on a pay-as-you-go basis. The software stack, according to the tech major, is customised for the unique needs of each original equipment manufacturer and their entire software supply chain.
Once initiated, automakers will have online access to Jarvis and can scan any number of binary files (non-text files) at every stage of software development. This includes the capability to evaluate new software under consideration and to also assess existing software already in production. Once scanned, development teams have immediate access to the results via user-friendly dashboards with specific cautions and advisories.
Besides, Jarvis ensures production software adheres to industry standards as set by the Motor Industry Software Reliability Association (MISRA), a body which sets down guidelines for software developed in automobiles. It also helps OEMs to customise rules to meet organization-specific objectives.
Automaker Jaguar Land Rover has already trialed Jarvis. “In our independent study, Jarvis delivered excellent efficiencies in time-to-market, significantly reducing the time to security assess code from thirty days to seven minutes,” Dr Ralf Speth, chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover, said.
