September 12, 2012

 

Neubiberg, Germany – September 12, 2012 – Infineon Technologies (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) today announced that its “Integrity Guard” digital security technology has been nominated for the “Deutscher Zukunftspreis 2012” – the German Federal President’s Award for Innovation and Technology. Infineon developed this new generation security technology for applications that require the highest level of data security and long time resilience.

Important application fields for security controllers with “Integrity Guard” include governmental identification documents as well as banking and credit cards. In these fields “Integrity Guard” already today sets the technological standard for chip-based security. Security controllers are also used increasingly in numerous networked systems such as computers, IT infrastructures, industrial control systems as well as critical infrastructure systems such as smart grids – where “Integrity Guard” provides the basis for overall system security. In Germany, “Integrity Guard”-based security chips are, for example, used in the electronic identity and healthcare cards as well as for contactless payment applications like the German Banking Industry Committee’s (Deutsche Kreditwirtschaft) “girogo” project. This project is currently Europe’s biggest contactless payment trial. To date, Infineon has sold more than 80 million security chips worldwide featuring “Integrity Guard” digital security technology.

“‘Integrity Guard’ is innovative security technology ‘Made in Germany’,” said Dr. Reinhard Ploss, Member of the Management Board responsible for Operations, R&D, and Labor Director of Infineon Technologies AG. “Being nominated for the Federal President’s Award for Innovation and Technology not only shows how important data security is for our increasingly networked world. It also recognizes our innovational strength in the area of security technology – an area which is quickly becoming more and more important in applications beyond the chip card.”

The “Deutscher Zukunftspreis” is awarded to outstanding technical and scientific innovations from Germany with great market potential. Four teams were nominated from a total of 24 technology projects. A jury of independent experts from science and business selects the nominees and the winner. Nomination alone is already regarded as high commendation and belonging to the “Circle of the Best”. Germany’s Federal President, Joachim Gauck, will announce the winner and present the award in Berlin on November 28, 2012. Further information is available at www.deutscher-zukunftspreis.de and www.infineon.com/deutscher-zukunftspreis

Innovation for security chips

A security chip must be able to store security-critical data – for example keys – and be able to protect the system in a wide range of totally different application fields. Until now, companies focused on protecting on-chip data from criminal attack by concealing it. Sensors were used to recognize such attacks and to protect sensitive data from manipulation. However, these methods no longer meet the very high security requirements that exist today.

To protect data more effectively, Infineon developed a completely new approach with “Integrity Guard”. It is based on digital security and displays two revolutionary innovations. Infineon engineers have succeeded in creating a security technology that not only encrypts the data on the security controller but can also process the data while it is encrypted. Even if attackers “eavesdrop” on the data signals, they only receive encrypted and thus incomprehensible information.

In addition to the complete encryption of the entire data path (CPUs, memories, caches and buses), the security controllers have two CPUs and a refined error-detection system. The two units continually monitor each other, and should a unit detect that an operation has not been properly executed due to a criminal attack it initiates the corresponding countermeasures. In this case, the chip immediately stops the ongoing processes and triggers an alarm. This makes it possible to ward off the most varied kinds of attacks.

The Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) confirmed the high security of Infineon’s “Integrity Guard”-based security controllers according to “Common Criteria”, an internationally recognized standard for the rigorous assessment and certification of security controllers.

The “Integrity Guard” security technology from Infineon has already been awarded the Innovation Prize of the German Industry and the chip card industry prize “SESAMES”.

Based on its core competencies in the fields of security, contactless communication and integrated microcontroller solutions (Embedded Control), Infineon offers a comprehensive portfolio of semiconductor-based security products for many chip card and security applications. Infineon uses this expertise to increase security in an increasingly mobile and networked world, e.g. for mobile payments, system security and secure electronic identity documents. Infineon has developed innovative, hardware-based security solutions for over 25 years and has been the world market leader for 15 years. Further information on Infineon's chip card and security solutions is available at www.infineon.com/chip-card-and-security

 

About Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions addressing three central challenges to modern society: energy efficiency, mobility, and security. In the 2011 fiscal year (ending September 30), the company reported sales of Euro 4.0 billion with close to 26,000 employees worldwide. 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.

Companies Website:
http://www.infineon.com/

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