Trustonic has teamed up with MediaTek, a company specializing on system-on-chip technology for consumer electronics, to offer a software security solution for the connected car, the companies have announced.

MediaTek will integrate Trustonic’s Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) technology into its systems designed for smart car integrations. As the companies explained in a statement announcing the partnership, the TEE technology provides “a hardware-secured operating system which is completely isolated from the device operating system” – in other words, a hack attack against the MediaTek components of an in-car infotainment system, for example, would be blocked from extending deeper into smart car systems.

It’s an area of increasing concern for car makers as the convergence between IT and automotive technology continues to intensify, and Trustonic and MediaTek are not alone in seeking to address it: BlackBerry, for example, recently announced a new embedded operating system for smart cars designed to wall off safety-critical systems from other software components.

MediaTek says it has already integrated Trustonic’s TEE technology into smart car telematics and entertainment solutions that are expected to reach the market next year.