Security chips for sensitive data from Infineon Technologies

News Release from: Infineon Technologies AG
09 March 2011

The high-tech company Infineon Technologies AG, headquartered in Neubiberg near Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions for security, energy efficiency and mobility. In our digital world security is more essential than ever. Infineon's latest innovation, the Integrity Guard security technology, sets the global benchmark in this segment.

Infineon developed this security technology to deliver an especially high level of long-lasting protection for demanding applications including credit cards and electronic documents such as passports and ID cards. Conventional security chips will soon no longer live up to the demands of these applications. They do indeed store data in encrypted form. However the data is decrypted for processing, thus exposing it to attack. A possible gap in security that Infineon now closed. The data is not only stored in encrypted form but remains encrypted during processing -- a first for security chips. Data is useless to eavesdropping hackers. Infineon's security chips with Integrity Guard have two CPUs and a sophisticated error detection system. The two CPUs cross-check each other continuously; they immediately detect whether an attack has been launched and take protective action. Long-lasting security was at the forefront in developing the concept. Because passports and ID cards have a life span of up to ten years.