BharOS, an Indian government-funded mobile operating system focused on privacy and security, is considering providing its technology for routers. The founder of BharOS, Karthik Ayyar, mentioned that they are exploring different variants of the operating system, including one for routers. By utilizing the principles of BharOS, they aim to enhance the security and privacy of network devices. Currently, BharOS is also focusing on enabling 5G. Ayyar explained that they work with device manufacturers to launch these variants, ensuring that the operating system meets the specific requirements of each device.
BharOS, an indigenously developed mobile operating system, is reportedly considering providing its technology for routers. The mobile operating system claimed to be focused on privacy and security,
BharOS
is an Indian government-funded project to develop a free and open-source operating system (OS) for use in government and public systems to reduce dependence on foreign OS in smartphones and promote indigenous technology.
Karthik Ayyar, the founder of JandK Operations, an
IIT
Madras incubated non-profit organisation that has built BharOS told Economic Times. “We are looking at different variants of our operating system for different purposes,” Ayyar told the publication.
“For example, one of the variants we are looking at is if you look at security and privacy in a broader context, typically most devices are connected to the internet through routers so we are looking at utilising the same principles of BharOS and putting them in network devices and routers so people are able to take advantage of it.”
Ayyar said that when a device is infected, there’s no way of knowing it is infected and could be leaking information, which entails risk since in a typical home or enterprise, multiple devices are connected. “Now that we have worked on securing phones, we are seeing how we can secure our laptops and desktops in our computing infrastructure. That’s one of the reasons why we started looking at routers because they are a critical point. So we started looking at how we’d be able to use the same protection mechanisms in routers.”
Making BharOS 5G
“We have currently been focusing on 5G enablement of BharOS,” Ayyar said. BharOS is a mobile operating system claimed to be focused on privacy and security. BharOS is an Indian government-funded project to develop a free and open-source operating system (OS) for use in government and public systems to reduce dependence on foreign OS in smartphones and promote indigenous technology.
The timeline to power routers
As for the timelines, he said that the company’s model is to work with device manufacturers and hence there is no set timeline it is looking at to launch this variant. The idea, he told, is that an operating system is essentially a piece of software that runs in any hardware. In terms of the mobile phone, there is the app store and there are apps that run on the devices and they get updated. Similarly, with other electronic devices such as tablets, laptops and even IoT devices and routers, there is a whole range of operating factors and each comes with different requirements.
“For example, in a router, you would not want any apps to be installed,” said Ayyar. “It should have a lockdown mechanism where no apps are installed and the only thing you would want is for it to be able to protect the traffic that comes in and goes out of the router. We work only on the operating system part and then we work with other organisations who manufacture these devices who then take it to the market.”
In terms of securing a communication network, he said there are essentially three elements - the handset, the telecom network and the application side, which essentially looks into what is stored and what is on the cloud and data centres.
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