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Press release from the SEPIA European technology project
ARM, Brightsight, Giesecke & Devrient, Graz University of Technology, Infineon Technologies

European Specialists Team Up to Define Security Standards for Next-Generation Mobile Devices

Graz, Austria. November 2, 2010 – Five partners from industry and academia have joined forces in a European research project, SEPIA (Secure Embedded Platform with advanced Process Isolation and Anonymity capabilities), to define security standards for next-generation mobile devices including high-end cell phones and tablet devices. As financial services, such as banking and payment, become increasingly accessed from mobile devices, it becomes increasingly critical to provide secure, certified cell-phone platforms to ensure such sensitive applications are efficiently protected from security threats. The SEPIA research project brings together ARM, Brightsight, Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) and Infineon Technologies, and is coordinated by Graz University of Technology (Austria). The project is co-financed by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

Mobile devices play an ever more critical role in our personal and professional lives today. They are increasingly used to access banking, location-based services, and social networking sites. Protecting people’s security, privacy, and identity on these devices is therefore a mounting concern. At present, however, there is no common security level across cell phone platforms and the technology varies widely. Set up to run for three years, the SEPIA research project aims to address this by developing new security enhancements and certification methodologies for mobile device platforms.

Herbert Reul, chair of the European Parliament committee on Industry, Research and Energy, confirms: “SEPIA addresses an ever more pressing security problem that is receiving increased attention on the European level, especially regarding mobile applications like eBanking”.

For the consumer, SEPIA should allow execution of security-critical applications such as electronic banking, location-based services, and social networking on cell phones, while ensuring that personal and confidential data such as usernames, passwords, location, and banking and payment details are stored and processed within a separate trusted environment. The expected outcome of SEPIA is that these security-critical applications will run in a protected and isolated environment, alongside other services such as games and software downloads, without risk of being affected by viruses, Trojans, or other malicious software.

From a technical viewpoint, the SEPIA project will be based on a mobile platform combining ARM® TrustZone® technology, which creates a protected area in advanced systems-on-chip, and the high-security MobiCore© operating system developed by G&D. The interplay between TrustZone and MobiCore ensures that if online services incorporate security-sensitive functions - for instance payment transactions - it is not possible for malware on the phone to manipulate username and password entries via the keypad or data output on the display.

Drawing on its expertise in hardware-based security, Infineon is contributing next-generation technology to allow secure storage of user credentials and passwords, thus adding further security to the new mobile platform. Brightsight will develop novel and cost-effective certification methods that allow mobile platforms to be certified incrementally, thus achieving short time-to-market cycles. The Institute for Applied Information Processing and Communications (IAIK) of Graz University of Technology is responsible for the scientific aspects of the project, including techniques to preserve anonymity and the development of security mechanisms for future cell phone processors.

The SEPIA project receives funding from the European Union’s FP7 scheme. It supports Europe’s foothold as a leading innovator in the sphere of mobile technology. SEPIA will make it easier to establish cross-platform, common security concepts and SEPIA’s new approach to security evaluation will reduce time-to-market.


Media contacts:

IAIK – Graz University of Technology
Kurt Dietrich
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Giesecke & Devrient GmbH
Stefan Waldenmaier
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]

Infineon Technologies AG
Monika Sonntag
Phone: [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
www.infineon.com

ARM
Alan Tringham
Phone [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]
www.arm.com

Brightsight
Jan Pieters
Phone: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail]


About IAIK at Graz University of Technology (TUG)
The Institute for Applied Information Processing and Communications (IAIK) as part of the Faculty of Computer Science at the Graz University of Technology focuses on information security and adjacent domains. Researchers at IAIK conduct research on information security in a broad context which includes the areas of cryptography, anonymity preserving technologies and embedded device security. IAIK also emphasizes in modern methods of teaching and provides consultancy for private as well as public organizations. For further information, visit our website at: www.iaik.tugraz.at

About Giesecke & Devrient
Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) is a leading international technology provider headquartered in Munich, Germany. With a headcount of more than 10,000 employees, the Group generated sales of EUR 1.7 billion in fiscal 2009. Founded in 1852, G&D is a global market leader and pioneering innovator in banknote production and processing, smart card solutions and services for telecommunications and electronic payment, and security documents and identification systems. 65 subsidiaries and joint ventures in 32 countries ensure customer proximity worldwide. For more information, visit our website at: www.gi-de.com.

About Infineon Technologies AG
Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, communications, and security. In the 2009 fiscal year (ending September), the company reported sales of Euro 3.03 billion with approximately 25,650 employees worldwide. With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the U.S. from Milpitas, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore, and in Japan from Tokyo. Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY). Further information is available at www.infineon.com

About ARM
ARM designs the technology that lies at the heart of advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM’s comprehensive product offering includes 32-bit RISC microprocessors, graphics processors, video engines, enabling software, cell libraries, embedded memories, high-speed connectivity products, peripherals and development tools. Combined with comprehensive design services, training, support and maintenance, and the company’s broad Partner community, they provide a total system solution that offers a fast, reliable path to market for leading electronics companies. For more information visit www.arm.com

About Brightsight
Brightsight is an independent evaluation laboratory that specializes in security analysis and testing of IT products and systems. The company has more than 20 years of experience in IT security, a large number of international accreditations and expert teams that have a broad range of skills, which include software engineering, electro-technics, physics, chemistry, protocols, general IT and cryptography. Its customers range from financial institutions, telecom operators and the automotive industry to IT product manufacturers and governments. Brightsight is based in Delft in the Netherlands and has 40 employees realizing an annual turnover of EUR 4,5 million.

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Giesecke & Devrient GmbH,
Prinzregentenstr. 159, 81677 Munich / Germany
http://www.gi-de.com

Vorsitzender des Aufsichtsrats: Dr. Peter-Alexander Wacker
Geschäftsführer: Dr. Karsten Ottenberg (Vorsitzender, CEO),
Michael Kuemmerle, Hans Wolfgang Kunz,
Dr. Walter Schlebusch, Dr. Peter Zattler (CFO)
Gesellschaftssitz: München, Handelsregister Amtsgericht München HRB 4619.