Canonical Brings IoT Security to Ubuntu Core

Embedded systems and IoT devices in the field often are hard or impossible to reach and are vulnerable to hackers and crackers. That makes systems that are self-sufficient and inherently secure a good thing – and why Canonical has brought the features of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS to these devices in Ubuntu Core 18. The platform was announced today but has been available since last month. Ubuntu Core is the version of the Ubuntu OS designed for IoT and container deployments. Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (long-term support), which was introduced last April, will add three elements to Ubuntu Core. Or, more accurately, it will reduce three things: time to market, software development risk, and security maintenance costs, the company says. “Ubuntu Core helps device makers get to market quicker, with an operating system hardened against security threats,” wrote Eric Jensen, Canonical’s head of IoT products in an email. “Integration with snapchat.io builds on the advantages of the Linux app ecosystem, providing powerful update mechanisms for global device networks. We bring the massive Ubuntu developer community to the embedded space. Developers can now use Ubuntu for prototyping, build/test, cloud backend and IoT devices.”