21SoftWare brings deep cyber security expertise rooted in the development of TSEL (The Security Enhanced Layer), our flagship security-hardened Linux distribution designed for mission-critical embedded systems. Our team has spent several years designing, hardening, and validating defensive architectures for spacecraft, flight software, and embedded/autonomous systems.
We now offer this specialized expertise as a full suite of Cyber Security Engineering Services for organizations that must protect their most critical platforms from modern threats.
Why 21SoftWare?
Built on a Foundation of Proven Security Engineering
Our experience is shaped by building TSEL, a hardened operating system designed for mission-critical embedded systems. TSEL incorporates secure boot, SBOM transparency, SELinux-based mandatory access control, CVE monitoring, zero-trust principles, and validated configuration baselines.
This hands-on expertise directly translates into our engineering services:
- Threat modeling for spacecraft and embedded systems
- Secure-by-design architectures
- Hardening for Linux, embedded controllers, and custom boards
- Zero-trust perimeter definitions for flight and ground systems
- Supply chain security and SBOM generation
- Firmware and OS integrity validation
- Vulnerability detection and lifecycle risk management
We collaborate upstream to:
- Validate and improve findings and fixes (upstream CI/CD, expert review)
- Reduce long-term development costs (carrying patches)
- Allow further development by other contributors
Examples:
- IDPS – CVE and non-CVE fixes, dependency updates, seccomp hardening
- Linux kernel – backport use-after-free CVE fix
- SELinux Reference Policy – updates across 12+ modules
Our Cyber Security Engineering Service Lines
Cyber Security Architecture and Design for Embedded Systems
Establish a Secure-by-Design Foundation for Your Mission
We design mission-critical cyber security architectures rooted in zero-trust principles and defense-in-depth patterns, tailored to the constraints and realities of embedded and space systems.
Service Deliverables
- Mission-specific‑ threat modeling and attack surface analysis
- Secure boot chain and cryptographic trust architecture
- SELinux-based MAC/RBAC policy designed for minimal privilege execution
- Secure update pipelines (OTA, staged flashing, rollback protection)
- SBOM (SPDX) generation and supply chain integrity workflows
- Standards-based‑ baseline configuration using OpenSCAP and industry benchmarks
- Minimized and hardened network services
Ideal For
- Spacecraft avionics teams
- Instrument and payload software teams
- Robotics/Autonomy platforms
- Industrial embedded control systems
- Small device edge compute
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Embedded Linux Hardening and OS Security Engineering
Transform Your Linux-Based System into a Mission-Ready Secure Platform
We apply the same methodologies and principles used to harden TSEL, which was validated through independent penetration testing with zero successful exploits, to secure your custom embedded Linux builds.
Service Components
- Configuration lockdown, service minimization, and default-deny posture
- Custom SELinux policy development
- Cryptographic hardening and secure credential management
- File system integrity preservation using dm-verity, fs-verity, verified boot
- CVE scanning and vulnerability life‑cycle management
- Custom SDK integration to secure application-level code paths
- Automated compliance scanning and baseline generation
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Security Assessment, Validation and Penetration Testing
Independent Security Validation Using Space Domain Expertise
We test mission-critical systems with the same rigor we have applied to TSEL’s security assessment and penetration testing campaign.
Assessment Activities
- Red team penetration testing for embedded systems
- Secure boot and root-of-trust validation
- Firmware, update path, and communication link security assessment
- Misconfiguration discovery with prioritized hardening guidance
- SBOM review and supply chain exposure analysis
- Telemetry analysis and anomaly detection advisories
Deliverables include
- A detailed vulnerability and findings report
- Risk-ranked issues with recommended mitigations and engineering changes
- Follow on consultation and implementation support
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Unique Strengths for Spacecraft and Flight Systems
Unlike general-purpose cyber security firms, 21SoftWare specializes in space systems and embedded platforms where:
- Memory, CPU, and power budgets are tight
- Updates may be infrequent or high risk
- Unattended systems must operate reliably for months or years
- Security failures can jeopardize entire missions
Our engineering approaches are designed with these realities in mind, ensuring that every security control is practical, reliable, and suitable for flight-ready deployment.
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