INSIDE Secure and Intrinsic-ID team up for secure microcontrollers for smart cards

INSIDE Secure and Intrinsic-ID have announced they are bringing to market a new class of secure microcontrollers for smart cards and other applications that apply Hardware Intrinsic Security (HIS) for cloud-based transactions.

Hardware Intrinsic Security technology uses the unique attributes of a device to extract security keys.  By combining INSIDE’s proven secure microcontroller designs with patented HIS technology from Intrinsic-ID, the companies say they can use the unique physical characteristics of each chip to protect cryptographic keys, and subsequently make devices extremely hard to clone or reverse engineer.

Theses HIS-based microcontroller chips will be packaged in multiple formats, with the first being a USB smart card token to support the Intrinsic-ID Saturnus cloud application. The Saturnus application runs on mobile phones, tablets and PCs, and offers total protection of digital data stored in the cloud. With Saturnus, files are encrypted before they leave the device and are uploaded to the cloud. The encryption keys are generated and managed inside the hardware security token plugged into the user device.

“Through our cooperation with Intrinsic-ID, the undisputed leader in HIS technology, we will bring to market a new class of smart card chips and modules that support the Saturnus application,” Bernard Vian, executive vice president of the secure transactions division at INSIDE Secure said. “HIS-based smart card tokens will be able to protect the digital assets users store in the cloud just as people today use a physical key to protect their home or car.”

According to the companies, what is perhaps best thought of as “biometrics for electronic devices,” the HIS technology developed by Intrinsic-ID offers an extra layer of protection for dedicated anti-cloning and other physical security protections offered by INSIDE secure microcontrollers.

“In addition to securing payment transactions, provisioning media content and protecting data in the cloud, the INSIDE Secure smart card chips and tokens will offer top-level security and key management flexibility to protect a whole new class of applications.  These may include machine-to-machine, smart grid, track-and-trace and many other applications as they emerge from the rapidly developing Internet of Things,” Pim Tuylis, CEO at Intrinsic-ID said.  “We are thrilled to be working with INSIDE Secure to enable top-level security in cost-efficient ways to these fast-growing and potentially vast markets.”

Reported previously, INSIDE Secure was recently awarded FIPS certification for its Safezone encryption toolkit.

Article Topics

biometric cards  |  INSIDE Secure  |  security