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Cryptography Research Announces License Agreement with Samsung for Differential Power Analysis Countermeasures Patents
June 2009 by Marc Jacob
Cryptography Research, Inc. (CRI) announced that it has signed an agreement with Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. regarding the use of CRI’s patents to enhance the security of Samsung’s tamper-resistant smart card chips against Differential Power Analysis (DPA) and related attacks.
Under the agreement, Samsung can use CRI’s patents as part of its strategy to develop and enhance its security chips used in smart cards. The license also covers software executing on Samsung chips, allowing Samsung’s customers to develop their own security countermeasures without a separate license from CRI.
DPA is a form of attack that involves monitoring the fluctuating electrical power consumption of a target device and then using advanced statistical methods to derive cryptographic keys and other secrets. Strong countermeasures to DPA help protect smart cards used in applications such as banking, pay television, mass transit, secure ID, and wireless telecommunications.
Cryptography Research has been awarded a portfolio of approximately 50 patents covering countermeasures to DPA attacks.
