Infineon Technologies Pockets Data Encryption - Unique Chip Handles Encryption Without Waiting Times

Munich, 23 April 2002 – More and more transactions in our business and private lives are handled digitally. Banking transactions over the Internet, signing into a corporate network: All this usually requires special access and authorization codes. Infineon Technologies now facilitates the use of such systems with a special chip that can be integrated in so-called USB dongles (electronic hardware keys for the popular USB port of a PC) or in USB enabled smart cards. Infineon’s “USBsec” security device uses worldwide accepted standard algorithms that allow the encryption and decryption of data flows within a few milliseconds.

Versatile protection is immediately effective

Infineon’s next-generation cryptography chip has been developed for direct high-speed communications via the USB (Universal Serial Bus) protocol that is familiar to PC users, among other applications. Manufacturers of USB dongles or USB enabled smart cards can cost-effectively integrate the Infineon security microcontroller that will enter series production in late summer of this year. Such personalized high-tech keys can be put into action with immediate effect: Users do not need any expensive extra hardware because USB ports are found on every modern laptop or desktop PC today.

Advanced encryption methods such as DES/Triple-DES (Data Encryption Standard) and so-called “hash” algorithms (where a document is assigned a unique checksum which the receiving end can use to exclude manipulations during data transmission) are also critical for the “digital signature” approach. Infineon’s security chip supports these and other major standards by means of dedicated coprocessors that significantly accelerate the encryption and decryption of the data. These cryptographic accelerators can process a digital signature with key lengths of 1,024 bits in about 420 milliseconds at a clock rate of 10 MHz (megahertz) based on the RSA principle (named after its developers Rivest, Shamir und Adleman). Over the internal USB interface, data flows up to 3 Mbps (megabits per second) can be encoded in real time based on the Triple-DES standard. Users who rely on products that use Infineon’s new security device are no longer required to accept additional waiting times if they need to communicate digitally in an especially secure manner.

Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions for applications in the wired and wireless communications markets, for security systems and smart cards, for the automotive and industrial sectors, as well as memory products. With a global presence, Infineon operates in the US from San Jose, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore and in Japan from Tokyo. In the fiscal year 2001 (ending September), the company achieved sales of Euro 5.67 billion with about 33,800 employees worldwide. Infineon is listed on the DAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX). Further information is available at www.infineon.com.


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