INSIDE Secure Extends Leadership in Security Expertise

Expands VaultIC Product Range and Launches New Cost Efficient Security Chip, Designed to Protect Connected Devices Against Fraud, Security Threats

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--INSIDE Secure, (NYSE Euronext Paris FR0010291245 – INSD.PA), a leader in semiconductor solutions for secure transactions and digital identity, today announced the launch of a new set of security devices designed to address the emerging security threats in the fast growing universe of net-connected devices, objects and people (“The Internet of Things”). With 16, 32 or 64K bytes of file system memory, the new VaultIC devices have been designed to offer strong security and pin-to-pin compatibility with current VaultIC modules, while significantly reducing overall cost, package size and printed circuit board (PCB) space.

“It is specifically tailored to protect the Internet of Things through its lower cost, smaller size and greater security, providing affordable protection for smart meters, remote medical monitoring devices, sensor arrays and many other applications.”

With these new products, INSIDE Secure is leveraging on its unique expertise and skills in Security technologies to offer adequate solutions for a growing demand for cost efficient devices fighting new security threats, which have emerged as net-connected technologies like cloud computing, smartphones, Internet-enabled medical devices and smart energy and other control systems start to proliferate. New security technologies like the VaultIC modules INSIDE Secure offer can provide the kind of low-cost strong security needed to fight major risks which include cloning, counterfeiting, tampering, fraud or eavesdropping. As an example, criminal [cyber] attacks against smart meter installations over the last several years may have cost a single utility company several hundred million dollars annually, for lack of strong enough security protocols^[1].

“The new VaultIC devices demonstrate INSIDE Secure’s continuing commitment to develop innovative products with high levels of integration to drive down the cost as a way to bring strong security to a broader range of applications,” said Christian Fleutelot, general manager and executive vice president, digital security at INSIDE Secure. “It is specifically tailored to protect the Internet of Things through its lower cost, smaller size and greater security, providing affordable protection for smart meters, remote medical monitoring devices, sensor arrays and many other applications.”

Cost-Optimized Platform

The VaultIC 441, 421 and 405 modules are all built upon the same high-density platform, allowing more compact QFN-20 and SOIC-8 packages to be used. The SOIC-8 package also provides pin-to-pin compatibility with the earlier generation VaultIC modules, making it easy and inexpensive for customers to migrate to the newer family.

Also built into the new VaultIC modules is an internal CMOS oscillator that provides faster, easier, lower-cost integration for customers developing USB applications such as security dongles.

The new VaultIC hardware platform includes an 8-/16-bit secure RISC CPU, hardware random number generator, hardware 3DES crypto-accelerator, hardware AES crypto-accelerator and hardware 32-bit public key crypto-accelerator to support a robust array of built-in cryptographic services and algorithms. The chips include a full speed certified, CCID-compliant USB 2.0 interface, high-speed slave serial peripheral interface (SPI), inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface and ISO/IEC 7816 standard UART for the greatest flexibility in connecting the VaultIC to applications.

The reduced BOM count, smaller PCB space requirement and pin-to-pin compatibility result in a cost-optimized security solution.

Improved Security

Based on the same software as the FIPS140-2 Security Level 3-certified VaultIC models 460, 440 and 420, the new VaultIC platform is FIPS140-2 Security Level 3-compliant now, and is targeted for certification at a later date. The new platform is also designed to meet the Common Criteria EAL5+ security level.

The new VaultIC devices support the secure sockets layer (SSL) Internet data exchange protocol, and are compliant with the Microsoft CSP and Minidriver standard architecture and public key cryptographic standards such as PKCS#11 and MS-CAPI.

Additionally, the VaultIC modules include new, advanced mechanisms and dedicated anti-tampering hardware to defend against side channel attacks, including simple and differential power analysis (SPA and DPA), environmental protection systems (voltage, frequency and temperature monitors), light protection and secure management/access protection to prevent reverse engineering or cloning.

About VaultIC Security Modules

INSIDE VaultIC security modules replace complex and expensive proprietary systems with a low cost, easy-to-integrate, higher security and proven solution. A single low-cost chip combines a powerful, secure microcontroller, secure data storage, hardware crypto accelerators, multiple interfaces and advanced security firmware to protect a broad range of products against counterfeiting, cloning or identity theft.

The embedded security firmware makes it easy to implement fully user-defined non-volatile storage of sensitive or secret data; set up identity-based authentication with user, administrator and manufacturer roles; perform authentication, digital signature, encryption/decryption, on-chip public key pair generation and other advanced cryptographic operations using keys and data from the file system; and provide secure communication channels using 3DES or AES.

About INSIDE Secure

INSIDE Secure (NYSE Euronext: INSD) is a leading designer, developer and supplier of semiconductors, embedded software and platforms for secure transactions and digital security. INSIDE mobile NFC, secure payment and digital security products provide security for a wide range of information processing, storage and transmission applications. The company’s customers are found in a wide range of markets including mobile payment, identification documents, access control, transit, electronic device manufacturing, pay television and mobile service operators. For more information, visit www.insidesecure.com.

^[1] Source: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation Report [•]