According to CoinDesk, IBM has introduced a cryptographic signing technology designed to manage digital assets in cold storage, enhancing security while keeping assets away from an internet connection. The IBM Hyper Protect Offline Signing Orchestrator (OSO) aims to safeguard high-value transactions by providing additional security layers, such as disconnected network operations, time-based security, and electronic transaction approval by multiple stakeholders. IBM has been discreetly applying its expertise in key management, particularly its confidential computing suite of technologies, to digital assets and cryptocurrencies in recent years.
Cold storage limitations often involve human interactions, which can include inside jobs, forced attacks, or other operational errors involving data center administrators and basic pen-and-paper methods. IBM's new OSO technology is being utilized by Ripple-owned custody firm Metaco, a long-time IBM partner in the crypto space. Metaco CEO Adrien Treccani expressed satisfaction with the collaboration, noting that the unique air-gapped cold storage provided by OSO is particularly valuable as regulators in markets such as Singapore, Hong Kong, and Japan increasingly require cold storage solutions.