Broadcom Reveals Multi-gigabit Ethernet MACsec Interconnects

By Frank Griffin
Contributing Writer

There is a large volume of critical high-speed data links being transmitted between servers, switches and routers. For organizations with highly sensitive data and mission-critical infrastructures, these points have to be secured with the most robust protection technology possible to ensure they are safe. Broadcom (News - Alert) says it has just unveiled the industry's most comprehensive secure network infrastructure. According to the company, the new MACsec PHY addresses the security requirements for multi-gigabit Ethernet interconnects, covering 10G, 25G, 40G, 50G and 100G.

Broadcom designs and develops digital and analog semiconductor connectivity solutions for wired infrastructure, wireless communications, enterprise storage, industrial, and others. The technology is used by consumers and organizations across different sectors with a variety of security requirements. With more of these organizations deploying multi-gigabit Ethernet services, protecting each connection no matter what speed is critical.

“This latest generation of MACsec PHY enables network operators with secure, encrypted 100G communications links capable of withstanding intrusion attacks, wiretapping and other threats to secure data transmission; Leveraging our field-proven 25G SerDes technology in a highly-integrated, multi-rate MACsec architecture, Broadcom provides the most comprehensive MACsec PHY solution for 10G/25G/40G/50G/100G Ethernet links,” said Lorenzo Longo, senior vice president and general manager of the Physical Layer Products Division at Broadcom.

The BCM82391 and BCM82756 have different capabilities, especially when it comes to speed. While the BCM82391 starts at 10G and goes all the way to 100G, the BCM82756 begins with 1G and moves up to 10G, and maxes out at 40G. Although they differ when it comes to speed, the security parameters are the same, with both providing IEEE (News - Alert) 802.1AE MACsec GCM-AES-256b encryption. The security integrates the Broadcom 25G SerDes core to reinforce data transmission security and signal integrity.

Ethernet links are being upgraded to access high bandwidth services and the increase of speed not only brings more convenience, but also introduces new vectors of attack that hackers can exploit. For widely implemented network interfaces such as, 8x10G, 8x25G, 2x40G, 2x50G and 2x100G configurations, they will become more vulnerable. The new Broadcom Dual 100G MACsec PHY with 256-bit AES addresses this security issue.

“MACsec PHY standards that extend to full 256-AES are now expected as a baseline feature in many Ethernet markets,” said Loring Wirbel, senior analyst with The Linley Group. “One product running the gamut from 10GbE to 100GbE represents a baseline functionality for tomorrow's secure data center - and for other vertical networking markets requiring security, as well.”