The assurance gap
Software credentials vs hardware roots of trust
Software can be copied. Hardware raises the cost of impersonation.
Software-only04
Where software falls short
Software-only identity can be vulnerable when credentials, sessions, or endpoints are compromised. Attackers who steal tokens or clone software environments may impersonate users without a hardware barrier.
Stolen sessions
Tokens and cookies can impersonate a user without the person being present.
Cloned software
App environments and stored credentials can be copied onto another device.
Endpoint compromise
Malware on a phone or laptop can use whatever the software can reach.
No hardware barrier
If the secret lives in software, software compromise is enough.
Hardware-rooted04
What silicon changes
Hardware roots of trust keep sensitive keys and operations in protected environments, raising the cost of impersonation and supporting stronger identity and authorization assurances.
Keys stay in silicon
Private keys remain in the secure element instead of ordinary memory.
Human presence
Biometrics help establish who is holding the hardware before signing.
Scoped signing
Only the approved action is signed—not a reusable software credential.
Higher cost to impersonate
Compromise of an app or session is not enough on its own.