Matter Security: Applying Privacy Fundamentals
Privacy is the #1 consumer concern in the smart home space, and Matter builds in defenses against a wide variety of threats.
Matter promises to enable smart home devices of different brands to communicate across ecosystems and addressing consumer requirements of easy setup and hassle-free interoperability, bringing peace of mind that new devices will play well with others. But privacy concerns remain top-of-mind for consumers. In this whitepaper, we take a closer look at some of the key security benefits of developing for Matter.
Introduction As IoT devices proliferate, companies across the industry are working to improve the development and implementation of smart home devices. However, as innovation continues, cybersecurity risks increase. Security and data privacy are primary concerns for consumers, even to the point of limiting technology adoption. This paper introduces Matter as an IoT connectivity standard that’s been designed around security and privacy, and highlights key features that ensure device security from the factory to the living room. Formerly known as Project Connected Home Over IP (CHIP), Matter is a global connectivity standard designed to enable seamless communication across IoT devices. Through efforts by Google, Apple, Amazon, and others—including Silicon Labs—Matter makes it easier to build devices that are compatible with smart home and voice services like Amazon’s Alexa, Apple Smart Home, Google Assistant, and beyond. Today, designing devices that fit into these popular ecosystems is a complex undertaking, sometimes resulting in a poor user experience. At its core, Matter is designed with device manufacturers and users in mind. With interoperable wireless standards for consumer smart home devices, the industry can move the market towards fully integrated systems. Internet Protocol (IP) is a key element that makes Matter work for everyone. Communication across standards is made possible by IP-based networking technologies for Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and Thread. Manufacturers favor battery-powered, long-range, and low-power IoT solutions to achieve seamless connectivity for smart home technologies, and protocols like Wi-Fi and Thread - which use IP based networking - make it easy for customers to develop low power wireless IoT Matter solutions.