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Philips Semiconductors Sets New Smart Card Security Benchmark
SUNNYVALE, CALIF. (Oct. 19) BUSINESS WIRE -Oct. 19, 1998--Philips
Semiconductors today announced that its P83W858 cryptocontroller has set
new benchmarks with its high-level security features designed to prevent
hackers from accessing a smart card holder's personal information. The
results were confirmed by the TNO Evaluation Center, an international
security assessment group for financial institutions and manufacturers
worldwide based in The Netherlands. TNO's evaluation of the physical
security features confirms the company's position as a leading provider of
secure, smart card technologies.
TNO's evaluation report is acknowledged by major banks and other system
assessment centers as a basis for further evaluation of security and
certification according to existing evaluation criteria. For card
providers and users, the importance of secure smart card transactions is
vital--particularly for transaction handling over public networks such as
the Internet, and for E-commerce where the card represents actual cash.
Datakey, Inc. chose to use the P83W858 as the cryptographic processing
chip in its SignaSURE Model 320 Smart Card and Model 370 Smart Key
smart-token operating systems. The two tokens are available for use with
all of the company's SignaSURE product family designed for applications
ranging from token add-ons for software security programs to
enterprise-wide information security solutions--including access control,
secure e-mail and file transfer and electronic commerce.
"Datakey chose Philips Semiconductors' P83W858 for high-performance,
advanced design and early availability together with high security," said
Carl Boecher, president and chief executive officer of Datakey, Inc. "We
are leaders in token-based information security solutions and a prime
consideration for technology leadership is high security, high performance
today--not in six months time. The P83W858 helps us to sustain our
leadership."
Based on the 80C51 architecture, the P83W858 is the world's first smart
card IC to use a new fully automated design technique called glue logic
design. Glue logic significantly reduces the risk of hackers tapping into
the card's information by finding signals or nodes to physically attack
the IC. The glue logic design process will be transferred to all of
Philips Semiconductors' smart card controllers and cryptocontrollers by
the end of 1998.
The comprehensive security features of the P83W858 also include
anti-hacking sensors that disable the chip when it is used outside normal
operating conditions and a unique 32 byte FabKey identifier, which acts as
a security key during manufacture and distribution. To meet the dual
requirements for high-security, high-speed public key cryptography, the
P83W858 incorporates Philips Semiconductors' FameX advanced crypto
co-processor that is capable of computing complex RSA signatures with
key-lengths in excess of 2048 bits in a few hundred milliseconds.
Philips Semiconductors is a leading supplier of cryptocontrollers
currently shipping in high volume for commercial use worldwide.
Applications include banking and secure financial transactions, Pay TV
security, network access and telecommunications. More than four million
cryptocontrollers have been supplied to customers worldwide, representing
a 55 percent share of the total cryptocontroller market. About Philips
Semiconductors
Philips Semiconductors, Inc., a subsidiary of Philips Electronics North
America Corporation and an affiliate of Royal Philips Electronics,
headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest
semiconductor supplier in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations
in digital audio, video and mobile technology position the company as a
leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets.
Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are
supported by regional customer applications labs. Additional information
on Philips Semiconductors can be found on the home page at
www.semiconductors.philips.com. About Datakey, Inc.
Datakey, Inc. is an international supplier of electronic products and
services. The company provides support, subsystem and system solutions to
record, store and transmit electronic information. Datakey provides
products and systems directed to the information security markets that
enable user authentication, secure data exchange and information
validation. It also provides OEM products, consisting of proprietary
memory key cards and other custom-shaped tokens that serve as a convenient
way to carry electronic information and are packaged to survive portable
environments.
-o-
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Received on Tue Oct 27 09:58:19 1998