GuardKnox

GuardKnox was established in 2016 by a trio of veterans from the Israeli Air Force: Moshe Shlisel (CEO), Dionis Teshler (former CTO), and Idan Nadav (VP R&D). The founders leveraged their extensive experience in developing cybersecurity for fighter jets and missile defense systems, such as the Iron Dome, to address the burgeoning security challenges in the automotive industry. Shlisel served as a Deputy Commander of Special Operations in the IAF and held executive roles at various tech companies. Teshler was a Chief Information Security Officer for missile defense systems and the F-35 fighter jet program before co-founding GuardKnox.

The company operates as a Cybertech Tier 1 supplier, providing high-performance computing platforms and comprehensive end-to-end cybersecurity solutions that combine both hardware and software. GuardKnox’s core business revolves around creating secure-by-design products for the next generation of software-defined and connected vehicles. Its offerings cater to automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Tier 1 suppliers, and the aftermarket. The business model involves providing these clients with the technologies to build secure and customizable in-vehicle experiences, thereby opening up new revenue streams for them. This is achieved through a patented Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) which enables a modular and flexible design.

GuardKnox's product portfolio is designed to facilitate the transition to centralized and zonal electronic/electrical (E/E) architectures in vehicles. Its solutions include a Secure SOA Framework, which acts as a middleware abstracting applications from the underlying hardware, and the CommEngine, a hardware solution for fast and secure in-vehicle communication. A key feature is the ability to host both safety-critical and non-critical applications on a single chip with secure separation, preventing vulnerabilities from compromising essential vehicle functions. The company has served notable clients such as Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, and the U.S. Army. Despite raising approximately $60 million in funding from investors like Fraser McCombs Capital, Faurecia, and SAIC Capital, the company filed for insolvency in early 2025, citing financial difficulties exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and regional conflict which led to the withdrawal of a significant investment.

Keywords: automotive cybersecurity, software-defined vehicle, E/E architecture, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), vehicle computing platform, connected car security, in-vehicle infotainment, automotive Tier 1 supplier, Zonal Architecture, secure-by-design, high-performance computing, Moshe Shlisel, Dionis Teshler, Idan Nadav, Israeli Air Force veterans, vehicle network security, ECU consolidation, OTA updates, cybertech, automotive electronics, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), fleet security, vehicle-to-everything (V2X), automotive hardware