TMCnet News
Cryptography Research Signs License Pact with EM MicroelectronicSep 05, 2009 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- Cryptography Research, Inc. (CRI) has announced an agreement with EM Microelectronic - Marin SA (EM), a semiconductor company of the Swatch Group, regarding the use of CRI's patents to enhance the security of EM Microelectronic's tamper-resistant smart card chips against Differential Power Analysis (DPA) and related attacks. EM is a supplier of flash-based smart card chips in the telecom market. Under the agreement, EM said it receives the freedom to use CRI's patents as part of its strategy to develop and enhance its security chips used in smart card security applications such as banking and electronic identification. The license also covers software executing on EM's licensed chips, allowing EM's customers to develop their own security countermeasures without a separate license from CRI. "EM Microelectronic is a growing producer of semiconductors and this agreement is another milestone for both our licensing program and security efforts in the smart card and semiconductor industries," said Carole Coplan, VP of business development for Tamper Resistance Solutions at CRI. DPA is a form of attack that involves monitoring the fluctuating electrical power consumption of a target device and then using statistical methods to derive cryptographic keys and other secrets. Strong countermeasures to DPA help protect smart cards used in applications such as banking, pay television, mass transit, secure ID and wireless telecommunications. Cryptography Research is a provider of technology to solve security problems. In addition to security evaluation and applied engineering work, the company is actively involved in long-term research and technology licensing in areas including content protection, tamper resistance, network security and financial services. ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) |