Qualcomm bringing baked-in security tech to chipsets

Qualcomm has built new anti-malware tech that uses machine learning to fight off threats.

Snapdragon Smart Protect is an on-device platform that scans for malware threats in real-time and uses “behavioural analysis” to detect new virus signatures.

The technology is aimed at complementing existing anti-malware technology by serving as an early warning system. Snapdragon Smart Protect is able to identify new potential threats before new signature updates can be issued to anti-malware vendors, Qualcomm claimed.

[Read more: Android, Windows at risk as malware hits “16 million” devices]

The company is making the platform API available to OEMS and mobile security providers and is currently working with Avast, AVG and Lookout to make the capabilities available within commercial antivirus apps.

The platform, which will feature in Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 820 chipset in 2016, is based on the manufacturer’s Zeroth cognitive computing platform, unveiled during 2015’s Mobile World Congress.

Snapdragon Smart Protect forms part of a wider, “hardware-based” security suite being touted by Qualcomm, which also features 3D fingerprint scanning tech.

Asaf Ashkenazi, Director of Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies, said: “With consumers storing more personal information on their devices, data leakage incidents and malware are on the rise.

 

“Snapdragon Smart Protect supports deep on-device monitoring for nearly instantaneous notifications of detected privacy violations and malicious activity while also providing great system performance and battery life.”