November 14, 2007
How does OK Lab’s virtualization technology keep devices safe from hackers?
That gets into some level of technical detail - so a use case might be the best way to answer that question. Think of the mobile phone as an example. That mobile phone has an application processor that the user interacts, which runs the browser, e-mail, and perhaps Microsoft Office applications and has the MP3 player, the camera, and all of the user pieces. The phone also has a communication stack that enables the phone to receive calls and dial out.
Hacker attacks are most likely to come in through the applications sides of the device – you download an email with an infected attachment, or perhaps, you get a photo or MP3 that is infected. The virus enters the devices and reaches over into the communications side, taking control of the phone and its network operations. This one infected phone could be turned into a jammer, infecting thousands of other phones and eventually bring down the entire network.
With OKL4, that possibility is prevented. OKL4 creates a virtualized environment where operating systems are sandboxed; in other words, they are partitioned so that if there is a problem in one part of the systems, it is unable to take down the other part of the systems. It essentially creates a software firewall that prevents a virus on one part of the devices from infecting or taking control of the other parts of the device.
Posted by Steve Subar on November 14 at 06:06 AM
About Steve Subar:
Steve Subar, CEO and President of OK Labs, has been an honored leader in the technology industry for 20 plus years and has received several accolades for his work. Steve is an avid runner who can also be found communing with his surfboard in Bondi Beach, Australia; skiing the slopes of Beaver Creek, Colorado; or searching for the perfect Pinot Noir all over the world.