Seoul, Korea - April 26, 2007 : Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leader in advanced semiconductor technology, announced today that two chips designed for combination (contact and non-contact) smart cards, in 72KB and 144KB capacities with embedded EEPROM, have been given Common Criteria (CC) certification and an Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) 4+ rating. Samsung now satisfies the product standards used in such smart card applications as electronic passports and electronic identification, which require an extremely high level of data security.
Samsung’s Common Criteria compliant smart card IC for electronic passports supports the high-performance and high-level security requirements for applications carrying personal information” said Chilhee Jung, senior vice president, System LSI division, Samsung Electronics. “Samsung has expanded its portfolio of high-performance smart card IC solutions from its strong SIM-based technology solutions to smart cards designed for financial, identification and security applications.”
Samsung’s newly certified portfolio includes both a 72KB and a 144KB smart card IC, the latter being the highest capacity currently available. Both ICs offer sufficient storage space for diverse biological data (face, fingerprints, retina, and genetic makeup) required by biometric identification systems.
In 1999, CC certification was selected as the international standard for assessing a product’s data security capabilities. CC provides the basis for confirming the reliability and safety of security-related functions in IC cards used in electronic IDs, electronic passports, and electronic driver’s licenses. Higher EAL ratings indicate more accurate and effective data security capabilities. An EAL 4+ rating is required for products such as electronic passports that have strict security requirements.
The International Civil Aviation Organization now recommends that all countries adopt electronic passports that cannot be forged or altered to help prevent the spread of international crime and terrorist acts. Starting in Europe, at least thirty-five countries have already adopted electronic passports with embedded integrated circuits. The US Congress has passed legislation stating that all countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program with the United States must now issue electronic passports and the Korean government will also implement an e-passport system in 2008.
Samsung’s smart card IC provides high performance and high reliability for protecting user-identity. The new combination smart card consists of a high-performance, 16-bit CalmRISCTM CPU, an RSA public key encryption algorithm, a Triple-DES (a symmetric key algorithm for encryption), and an advanced encryption standard (AES) algorithm. An attack-prevention design technology has also been applied to help prevent the possibility of personal data loss to hackers.
Also built into the smart cards is the International Standards Organization (ISO) 14443 A/B type contactless function, providing fast and stable data links between the card and the card reader in non-contact situations.
Until now, Samsung has focused mainly on smart card ICs designed for high-performance SIM cards. The expansion into financial, identification and security smartcard products will enable the company to provide customers with a wider range of smartcard IC solutions. CC certification also gives Samsung a competitive edge in developing and mass-producing next-generation products with reinforced data security capabilities.
About Samsung Electronics
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2006 parent company sales of US$63.4 billion and net income of US$8.5 billion. Employing approximately 138,000 people in 124 offices in 56 countries, the company consists of five main business units: Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business, Telecommunication Network Business and Digital Appliance Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
[ Reference Data ]
Combination Smart Card: Smart card data can transferred to reader by direct contact or wirelessly. This dual capability allows the card to be used in a wide range of applications.
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) : The International Civil Aviation Organization is a global forum organized to promote safe, secure and sustainable development of civil aviation.
Triple-Data Encryption Standard (3DES) : A data encryption algorithm standard used by the US Department of Commerce. Three encryption methods are used to improve the security capability of DES.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO) : International body promoting standardization among countries through cooperation in intellectual, academic, technological and economic areas.
Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) : A Smart card used in mobile phone
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